Alan Young

U.S. Healthcare Legislation Investment Impact

Let's do it without the name-calling, shall we?

Mr Shaw, you are over-reacting. Health industry lobbyists had more influence on this bill than anyone else, especially Socialists. Insurance companies will prosper from increased enrollments. Michael D. makes an excellent point: more coverage=more business for everyone in the sector.

It would have made sense to craft a bill that would have reduced the costs of the system, which is wildly out of control. But they didn't. The pigs are still at the trough. And we can count on the Senate to throw them more slops.

The Hypocrisy and High Stakes of Healthcare Reform

Spot-on, Mr. Moon! May I use this in my next letter to my senators?

On Oct 22 06:58 AM Moon Kil Woong wrote:

> If we just got rid of the heath insurers
> there would be planty of cookies for all of us since they are the
> biggest cookie monsters out there.
> I'd rather suffer an overpaid doctor than an overpaid insurer, an
> overpaid administrator, an overpaid claims ajuster, and an overpaid
> lawyer each using my own money to find some way to prevent me from
> getting the coverage I already paid for.

The Link Between Bankruptcies and Health Care Reform

"Judges can adjust the terms of loans (including interest rates and principal) on yachts and beach houses, but they are specifically forbidden by federal law from doing so on owner-occupied houses."
Same old story: socialism for the rich, "free enterprise" for the poor.

Many comments want to blame government spending for our problems, but we spent TWICE AS MUCH on healthcare as other developed countries, get about half the benefit (as measured by broad statistics such as life expectancy), and are the only country to let private, for-profit insurance run the industry. Anyone using logic instead of ideology to look at these facts would see that the problem is in the profit motive, not the government.

Members of congress have the best health care plan in the country. It's completely government-run and costs them $500 a year. You notice that none of the senators who say they are opposed to government-run health care have suggested doing away with their own government-run coverage?

Healthcare: The Myth of Consumer Choice

Good point, but missing some even more obvious flaws in the premise. There are many countries where consumers have unlimited, free access to health care, and they all spend MUCH LESS on providing that care than the U.S. currently does.
Only two variable could explain this. Either Americans are the unhealthiest people in the world due to genetic or cultural factors, so we require twice as much coddling just to survive, OR (far more likely) the dominant role of private insurance in our health service is driving expenses out of control.

Prescription for an Ailing Market - Healthcare Insurers

These companies spend excessive amounts on executive compensation, lobbying, and what is politely called "political action" sometimes known as bribery. Is there anything left for shareholders?

What they are buying with all this is the freedom to routinely cheat policyholders by denying coverage after collecting premiums for years. This is going to stop, and these companies will be liable for huge losses in class-action lawsuits.

I wouldn't pay a dime for any of them. (well, okay, a dime, but no more).

Buying Healthcare Stocks for an Obama Presidency (Part II)

First, it doesn't matter that much who is president. The economic reality on the ground is the most potent force.
And the economic reality is, health care is increasingly expensive, and we can't afford it in its current form. We pay too much for drugs, for insurance, for hospital overhead, for research--when what most patients want is CARE, which is not provided by most of the current players in the system, and is certainly not advanced by corporate profits.
So one way or another, cost control is going to hit the industry, hard. Demand will grow, yes, but demand at low margins, please. I don't think the body politic will allow corporations to profit more than they do now from our frailties.