Okay, after a year of silliness it's time to stop the hostile insurance company takeover with the help of teabagging death panel nonsense and pass health care reform. Anthem's attempted jacking up of premiums by 39% across the board for individual members may just be the wake up call We the People and our elected representatives needed. Today's SF Chronicle reports that it's not just me who thinks Anthem is totally out of control:
The Obama administration and state insurance officials pressured Anthem Blue Cross on Monday to justify its decision to raise rates by as much as 39 percent for thousands of outraged and frustrated California customers.
What the article doesn't mention is that Anthem does this kind of rate hike just about every year. To match their Groundhoggish consistency in exorbitant premium hikes I'm hogging my own response to a letter I received from them last year. (italics mine)
Dear Citisven,
Hey there Sucker,
We understand you have choices when it comes to health care coverage,
if you don't like us, why don't you just go to med school and check up on yourself...and if you need surgery, we hear they've got sharp knives at Benchmade
and we thank you for putting your trust in Anthem Blue Cross and Health Insurance Company
and we'd like to give you a little sweet talk before ripping you off blind.
There are several advantages to being a member.
Before we tell you that we're going to ream you for another 56 bucks a month we'll lube you by hyping up basic health care provisions as incredibly super generous and extra special services.
Every day we strive...blahblah...medical care....blaehblaeh...affordable prices...harhar....largest provider networks...blechblech....doctors....quality and affordability...hrgmfff...wherever and whenever you need it.
Ok, now you didn't think we'd waste a stamp on your sorry ass just to tell you about this? So let's drop the burlshit and let us REALLY introduce ourselves to you:
Rate change effective 5/1/09
While we strive to keep costs as low as possible (cough, cough, see above), periodically (like, whenever we feel like it), it is necessary to adjust (jack up) our health care coverage rates to cover the escalating cost of health care (that we're responsible for in the first place). As of 5/1/09, the monthly rate on your PPO 3500 plan will change (escalate) from $107 to $163.
What do you have to do?
To continue with your current medical plan, you don't need to do anything. Your rates will be adjusted in future mailings.
Rest assured that we'll make it really easy on you for us to suck you dry. In fact, we don't want you to do anything ever except for sending us checks.
What are your other options?
If you have been covered for at least 18 months (I haven't) under an Anthem Blue Cross health care plan, you may be able to transfer, without medical underwriting, to another plan providing equal or lesser benefits.
(that $3500 deductible we offered you 5 months ago? Sorry, but that was just much too generous of us to make any money off of you).
If you decide to switch to another plan,
which we know you're not going to find a cheaper one because everyone else is hiking up their rates, too. Trust us, we talked to them.
you may not be eligible to go back to your existing plan without further medical underwriting review.
which is legalese for reserving the right to detect even the most miniscule body malfunctioning induced by your attempted insurance company switch, just to teach you an important lesson about the beauty of unbridled and freedom-loving capitalism.
First and foremost ... stay covered
That piece of advice is free of charge, courtesy of Anthem president Leslie Margolin.
Keeping your health coverage is the right thing to do. Things happen — even if you're healthy right now, you could be caught off-guard by an unexpected illness or injury. And if you cancel your coverage now and become ill or injured later, you may not qualify to re-enroll. Why take that chance?
Ok, let's get this straight, buddy, no more pussyfooting around here. If you don't swallow our nice big chunk of premium-swelling generosity, you can kiss our big fat helping hand good-bye. FOREVER, YOU GOT THAT, PUNK!!?? Because you know it, and we know it. It's our favorite little secret and we've spent billions on making sure it'll happen: You WILL get sick, and you WILL suffer, and because you selfishly refused to take our outstretched hand, we're just gonna stand by with a big shit eatin' grin and watch you deteriorate and turn into a shriveled piece of pumpkin crust. And don't even think about crying for help then, because YOU had your chance, YOU asked for it, YOUR defiant behavior gave us no other choice but to let you rot along with the rest of your 50 million thankless uninsured welfare queens.
And again...drumroll....
Remember ... you have choices
Well, we said it before and we'll say it again, this is a free country and we're free to rig the system. And the system is so free and great, why don't you just find yourself another insurance company if you don't like it, you socialist commie, but good luck with that, Muahahahaha!
Then, adding insult to injury (pun intended)
Have Questions?
uuhhmmm yeah, can I have fries with that?
And the grande finale, just when you thought it couldn't get any more cynical:
Did you know that your health care plan includes additional perks?
Like a hole in my head? At free market special deals?
Well, that's it for now, folks. There's all kinds of other policy notices and legal dribble, but I'm sure it has nothing to do with improving anyone's health care. I know that my premium is still low compared to most others because I don't have any pre-existing condition and I'm in my early 40s. But the bigger reason is the huge deductible I have which pretty much means I'll never go for a checkup or see a doctor unless I get run over by a truck. I know it's been discussed here over and over, but being from Germany, this is so backwards, counter-intuitive, and economically untenable for anyone but the insurance companies that I can't believe we're still discussing this. And where are the freedom-loving tea partiers when it comes to being enslaved to these insurance companies?
I don't get, I just don't get it.
peace,
citisven
PS: My Mom, who had spinal surgery at the University Clinic in Heidelberg last month where they inserted two titanium vertebrae into her neck, just got her bill. We're talking one of the most complicated surgeries ever, 3 weeks in the hospital, endless tests, drugs, the whole enchilada: 10,000 Euro! Mind you, this is not her cost, but the cost of everything put together, and the insurance will cover about 80% of it. My guess is that if she were in the States, $13,700 (current exchange rate) would have barely covered her hospital room. The point here is, why is the cost of medical care so much cheaper in Europe? Anthem's whining about rising costs must be in reference to their CEOs' salaries.
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