The business model is just colossaly, horribly, stupidly wrong for health care. Knowing why will help you present a solid argument for Single Payer. I have written about this before, so if you already know it, then you can use this time to email or phone a senator...LOL. (And tell me to shut up in the comments below. It won't hurt my feelings--much.)
This diary started life as a comment on nyceve's latest wonderfully enraging diary. As the comment got too long, I had second thoughts, and here's the result.
Health care insurance companies are (mostly) corporations and exist in order to make profits. A corporation is not evil for earning profits any moreso than the cat is evil for eating meat--because that is their very nature. Expecting a corporation to put human values above profit is like expecting your cat to take good care of your pet canary while you are at work.
We are painfully aware that the health insurance corporations "ate our canary", (as well as our goldfish, and our hamsters, and are now trying to get the mice and gerbils in the fridge for a midnight snack). Our best response is to recognize how completely unsuitable a corporation is to provide compassionate, people-focused medical care, and demand that our government provide health care using a better model.
A corporation can not be relied upon to consistently provide good medical care because their primary allegiance is to their bottom line. Therefore, they make decisions according to what increases profits the most--not what relieves pain, or improves function, or is kindest.
Yes, corporations do good things too. There is a second rule for corporations which says, "arrange to be percieved as doing enough good for your community that they will allow your continued existence." That may be achieved through actual contributions to community improvement, or through public relations (lobbying, media and propaganda)to create a positive image for the corporation.
Here, in condensed form, are the main arguments against corporations running health care:
-- Health Insurance Corporations exist to earn money. The only reason they show humanitarian or charitable trait is to improve their public image, so they will be allowed to continue existing.
-- Health Insurance companies make a profit by collecting premiums and then returning as little of that money as possible to their customers and suppliers. (They invest that money in other ventures so they can make even more money.)
-- Health Insurance companies are Profit Oriented, not People Oriented, so decisions about your care are governed by their bottom line. They don't care if you stay healthy, suffer or die, only whether it costs them money.
-- Health Insurance companies HATE for you to get sick--but only because it costs them money.
-- Health Insurance companies search for ways to stop your insurance coverage if you become seriously ill.
-- Health Insurance companies prefer that you die suddenly rather than have a long, expensive illness with a good chance of recovery.
-- Denying or delaying your claims increases their profits, so they do it constantly.
-- The only useful function of health insurance is to spread the cost of serious or catastrophic illness among many people. It shouldn't cost 20% of the premium to accomplish that.
When Health Insurance Corporations ask for teamwork in providing medical care, I think of a wagon being pulled by a mule and a hungry tiger.