The News yesterday that Anthem Health Plans of Maine a subsidiary of WellPoint, is suing the State of Maine so they can shove a 18.5% premium increase down the throats of their individual policy holders was more bad news for the people of Maine. WellPoint has monopoly in Maine controlling 78% of the health insurance market. This kind of monopoly in health insurance isn't confined to Maine. The American Medical Association reports that 94% of insurance markets in the U.S. are now highly concentrated. The Health Insurance Industry and its representatives in Congress are fighting tooth and nail to prevent a competitor from entering these monopoly markets.
According to statistics in a report by Health Care for America Now titled Results of Market Failure in Maine (Pdf)
* Between 2000 and 2007 insurance premiums in Maine went up by 90%, (employers' costs went up by 87% and their workers costs went up by 96%) at a rate 4.5 times faster than the rise in Maine's medium income.
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* Over the three years between 2004 and 2007 Anthem Health Plans of Maine's profits soared by 89%.
The People of Maine are angry, and scared what the future might hold in store for their health care. Their Senators, not so much. Senator Susan Collins is hard at work trying to water down a solution to the problem that is swallowing her constituents household budgets, and eating up businesses' profit margins.
Why wouldn't Collins and Snowe want to act decisively to correct this out of control situation? As the old saying says: Follow the Money.
This comes from the Sunlight Foundation:
Senators Call for Health Care Delay, Receive Big Campaign Contributions
Each these senators has raised at least $1 million from the health and insurance sectors combined over the course of their respective careers.
Sen. Susan Collins raised $1,559,446 from the health and insurance sectors over the course of her career. Her first day in office was January 7, 1997. In total, she has served 4,574 days as a United States Senator. This calculates out to her raising $341 every day from the health and insurance sectors.
Sen. Olympia Snowe raised $1,147,630 from the health and insurance sectors over the course of her career. Her first day in office was January 4, 1995. In total, she has served 5,309 days as a United States Senator. This calculates out to her raising $216 every day from the health and insurance sectors.
The health care industry's investment in Maine's senators is likely to return dollars for every penny spent. This fund raising information covers the period from 2005 to 2010, courtesy of Open Secrets:
Susan Collins
Total Individuals PACs
Health Professionals $392,169 $103,169 $289,000
Insurance $277,350 $87,350 $190,000
Hospitals/Nursing Homes $146,450 $24,450 $122,000
Health Services/HMOs $130,950 $49,950 $81,000
Pharmaceuticals/Health Products $124,500 $25,100 $99,400
Total $1,071,419 $290,019 $781,400
Olympia Snowe
Total Individuals PACs
Health Professionals $174,074 $30,574 $143,500
Insurance $163,585 $42,450 $121,135
Hospitals/Nursing Homes $85,995 $22,495 $63,500
Total $423,654 $95,519 $328,135
When Maine's senators Collins, and Olympia Snowe deferred to industry lobbyists on Health Care Reform, they sold out the people of Maine at a bargain price. Collins' take since 2005 was $1,071,419.00 (less than half of what Max Baucus' raked in, and he let a former Wellpoint V.P. write the Health Care "Reform" Bill for him). Collins' $1,071,419.00 works out to about 81 cents for each one of Maine's citizens. Snowe's take since 2005 was $423,654.00 that works out to only 32 cents for each Mainer.
The People of Maine deserve better from their Senators than being sold out to a monopoly for mere pennies a person.