Comments about ‘Sebelius says insurers won't succeed’

There is absolutely no constitutional basis for the government to provide universal health care. Even if there was such a basis, why would we want an organization (the government) to enter this area when it has a proven track record of failure when it enters areas traditionally provided by private business?

Health care for all will take years, bankruptsy for all will take only months. Thanks Mr. President.

Slag0500 asks "why would we want an organization (the government) to enter this area when it has a proven track record of failure when it enters areas traditionally provided by private business?" One answer is that the government couldn't do worse, it's not possible to do worse. Why are Canadians able to do it successfully, but we can't? Are they smarter? Do they have a stronger sense of morality? And before anyone responds saying that Canadians are flocking down here to get medical care, go to google and search for "phantoms in the snow". This is a peer reviewed journal article putting that myth to rest.

Why would we want to retain the status quo of an Insurance Industry that cares not for the people's Health but rather would line the pockets of the investors. Get the Insurance Industry out of Health Care. Government could not possibly do worse than what we've got.

Since it's going to take years, best get started.

WATCH 0UT U.S. WE ARE HEADED DOWN A DANGEROUS AND DESTRUCTIVE PATHWAY ALLOWING THE GOVERNMENT TO HAVE SUCH CONTROL.

Private insurance companies exist to maximize returns and deny claims. They have absolutely no incentive to pay your claim, although they gladly take your premiums. The sooner these crooks are gone, the better.

It will take years as long as Doctors, Pharmaceutical companies, insurance companies want the status quo to earn profit for their share holders. As long as Medical Lobbyists continue to spend 40-50% more lobbying against any reform we will never see change. We already have rationed care. People with insurance file for bankruptcy due to uncovered medical costs account for 78% of bankruptcies due to medical. Our medical system is broken. We have health insurance for the healthy, but if you get ill plan to be dumped by your plan. It happened to me. Let's get beyond the rhetoric of "socialism" vs. "capitalism" and see our country enact change. They are predicting that if we do nothing we will be spending 40% of our incomes on health care. We cannot compete globally against countries that have a National Health Plans. Companies will not want the do business in the U S when they discover that such a large labor cost goes to insure employees. Our system is flawed and must be changed before it breaks further.

The left is driving us to the "isms".

UTOPIA for the RIGHT is SOMALIA.

NO REGULATION. NO WELFARE.

SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC DARWINISM AT ITS BEST!

Yeah.

The RIGHT IS SPOT ON!

I thought elected officials were supposed to legislate? Govt should put in proper legislation to improve our healthcare system. We did not elect these idiot to RUN our health care system!!

When you went to the polls did you think "will this guy make good decisions for my health"? Of course not.

They should legislate to lay the groundwork to improve coverage.

Government has failed at almost every single system/program that they have ever attempted to run/administer.

We do not go a day without hearing about more govt waste. They are notoriously inept. You are a fool if you believe govt running healthcare would be any different.

SS, Medicare and a host of other programs are all scheduled to go bankrupt. These cost a FRACTION of what universal coverage would cost and yet the govt believes that it can be paid for. What????? They can not pay for the current obligations.

HIGH taxes is the only way and who wants to give all their money to the govt and get what you already have?

I'll tell you who--freeloading democrats who don't pay taxes now and want something for nothing!!

I think 90%+ of Americans don't know what insurance is really for. They think insurance should pay for ALL medical expenses, which is not the definition of insurance. Insurance is there for you so that if you have a disaster that you can't pay for you won't go broke and the Insurance will pay for it. I think if they do universal healthcare they need to make sure deductibles are very high so that we don't have to pay for every doctor visit of every person.

I also think it is funny how many think that the public school system is failing, but we think that a public healthcare system will somehow magically be different.

Sillybius said "insurance lobby won't be able to block a public health plan because most Americans realize they would be better off if the industry had competition".

Now thet rite ther is SPIN!

Grubment "competeing" with industry? Ha! I see through that line......

@Definition|10:26
If you have a major disaster the Insurance Industry does everything in its power to ensure it DOESN'T pay and you end up broke and bankrupt anyway. Why bother having it then?

You gotta love her sense of arrogance and entitlement. Like "Nobody can stop me, I'm with the great Obama and nothing can stop us".

This attitude the Democrats are weilding today, the "Nobody can stop us, we can do whatever we want cause we have the votes", can be dangerous. Un-checked power given to a few people to control our lives and our future is a concern to me. I just wish both sides of the debate were being heard and actually listened to and considered. Democrats may let Republicans and Independents speak, but they know they don't have to listen or react. Let Republicans talk all they want, it doesn't change a thing. All Democrats have to do is vote in a pack and they can have anything they want.

The health insurance lobby alone may not be able to stop Obama's Nationally funded healthcare program from passing but public disproval could (It did when Hillary proposed it).

At the same time, I realise we're not likely to pass up something being touted as "FREE".

Here is what I see as the biggest problem and it also contains the solution for what to do. "The insurance lobby won't be able to block a public health plan because most Americans realize they would be better off if the industry had competition, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Tuesday as congressional committees worked to shape legislation." Health insurance needs more competition, so why not remove all of the restrictions that they have so that they can compete with eachother.

Are we already forgetting that just a few months ago the legislature was debating a bill that would require health insurance companies to cover Autism treatments? The government regulations are a driving factor in cost. If they could allow the people to determine what coverage they need, then the cost for most people would drop significantly.

The pinheads in washington are looking at the symptoms of the problem and addressing that, they are not looking at the problem itself.

Finally, who in their right mind would believe that the government could run an insurance company. They can't even run their own cafeteria without a deficit or even figure out how bad a year old recession is.

"Why are Canadians able to do it successfully, but we can't? Are they smarter? Do they have a stronger sense of morality? And before anyone responds saying that Canadians are flocking down here to get medical care, go to google and search for "phantoms in the snow". This is a peer reviewed journal article putting that myth to rest."

Riiiight. A journal article financed in part by the Canadian government finds that no one is leaving Canada because the health care there is so wonderful.

I've done my own research -- living in Canada -- and I can tell you that overall the US health care system is worlds better, especially if you want cutting-edge surgery.

Which is why wealthy foreigners come to the US whenever they need surgery or cancer treatment, not Canada.

Cost competition from a Federal program--are you kidding? Name ONE Federal program that is cheaper than a private one!

And just because your up-front cost is less doesn't mean the total cost is less.

The idea of "cheap" Federal health insurance is patently ridiculous!

Let's see, I have been offering my employees insurance for years, at no small cost to the company, because I care about my employees and because healthy employees are more productive. It is also an important factor in attracting new employees and retaining current ones.

Now Uncle Sam comes along offering insurance with no profit, administration, or responsibility to customers (not elected and you can't bring suit against the government). With Beneficial getting out of the insurance business today because they can't compete in todays market, I think I'll have to stop offering insurance to my employees and just pay the penalty fees. Mexico has no such fees. I'll just move my business there.

And we are supposed to believe all this from another Obama appointee who cannot even figure out how to pay her income taxes legally?

Administrative costs for government agencies are never lower than private enterprise. Their main cost saving method is delay and denial of care hoping you will die first.

How does a public health plan introduce competition into the insurance industry?

Good grief, government will charge a reduced rate for premiums because they have tax dollars subsidizing their activities and "business". True insurance companies will be at a disadvantage and could go out of business if government chose to force them into closure (look at Chrysler, GM, banks, home mortgage industry, etc).

This government is putting up the biggest smoke screen and creating the largest fabricated crisis I have seen. There is no argument that times are really tough, but America has always been able to get through it. But now government is closing traditional American business and taking over in a Socialistic grab for power.

This is not good.

Rememember how the Banks complained when Credit Unions were introduced?

The Healthcare system should be changed to Focus on Care instead of Profit.

The government recieves more money from taxes and the Healthcare industry by quantity of visits instead of Quality of Care.

Keeping people sick is the way of profit in the current system.

To change it the Government needs to take control of it and make it quality focused.

American private industry output (capitalists) will do better when they have more healthy employees able to work than sick employees. Profits can then soar.

Government will have a larger focus on where the money flow does go when it is paying for the system. It will be to their interest to eliminate causes of people getting sick. It will expect quality care for the money.

Greed has stopped this change from happening by payouts to our elected officials from the greedy in the medical industry.

Love and Change is needed.

Change Healthcare Now from a profit industry to caring industry.

This is just another "wrong guess" by the Obama administration!
Do any of you really want the government guessing on your health care? Not me!