What do health insurance corporations do?

[herring_RN]

Please tell me what constructive and/or useful things health insurance companies do.

I see they own large buildings throughout the country. What is getting done in there?

[Not_A_Hat_Person, RN]

Judging from my experiences with CIGNA, they find as many ways to deny care as they can.

[Jstand]

Judging from my experiences with CIGNA, they find as many ways to deny care as they can.

I understand what you are saying, but I also know that providers try as many ways as they can to provide care. It seems to me that everyone who stands to make a profit in the healthcare arena acts dishonestly and drives up costs. People only find it to be in poor taste when insurance companies do it, why is that?

[nicurn001]

I understand what you are saying, but I also know that providers try as many ways as they can to provide care. It seems to me that everyone who stands to make a profit in the healthcare arena acts dishonestly and drives up costs. People only find it to be in poor taste when insurance companies do it, why is that?

Because we pay them to provide us a service , whilst making a profit . The problem is they appear to be denying a greater number of claims whilst making an inordinate amount of profit .The balance between service provided and amount of profit appears to be going more out of allignment as time goes by .

[Jstand]

Because we pay them to provide us a service , whilst making a profit . The problem is they appear to be denying a greater number of claims whilst making an inordinate amount of profit .The balance between service provided and amount of profit appears to be going more out of allignment as time goes by .

So what you are saying is that it is okay to provide too much service and make abnormal profits, but it is not okay to deny service while making a profit?

[nicurn001]

So what you are saying is that it is okay to provide too much service and make abnormal profits, but it is not okay to deny service while making a profit?

I don't understand how you can infer that from what I said .

I think it is fairly clear that the profit motive has become the primary force , rather than the provision of service to members .

In the past the insurers at least appeared to work with the members to try to get them the care that was needed , wheras now the perception is that insurers are always looking for ways to deny care , inorder to maximize profit for shareholders .

[Jstand]

I don't understand how you can infer that from what I said .

I think it is fairly clear that the profit motive has become the primary force , rather than the provision of service to members .

In the past the insurers at least appeared to work with the members to try to get them the care that was needed , wheras now the perception is that insurers are always looking for ways to deny care , inorder to maximize profit for shareholders .

Sorry, I guess I shouldn't have inferred that from what you said. I was just trying to make a point. The point is that people very readily demonize insurers for their profit motive while they view providers as being helpful. The truth is that the behavior of both can be equally destructive.

[herring_RN, ASN, BSN]

one reason i think we need medicare for all.

executives at health insurance giants cash in as firms plan fee hikes

leaders of cigna, humana, unitedhealth, wellpoint and aetna received nearly $200 million in compensation in 2009, according to a report, while the companies sought rate increases as high as 39%.

august 11, 2010|by noam n. levey, los angeles times

reporting from washington-the top executives at the nation's five largest for-profit health insurance companies pulled in nearly $200 million in compensation last year-while their businesses prepared to hit ratepayers with double-digit premium increases, according to a new analysis conducted by healthcare activists.

the leaders of cigna corp., humana inc., unitedhealth group and wellpoint inc. each in effect received raises in 2009, the report concluded, based on an analysis of company reports filed with the security and exchange commission....

... h. edward hanway, former chief executive of philadelphia-based cigna, topped the list of high-paid executives, thanks to a retirement package worth $110.9 million. cigna paid hanway and his successor, david cordani, a total of $136.3 million last year....

http://articles.latimes.com/2010/aug/11/business/la-fi-insurance-salaries-20100811

[Jstand]

One reason I think we need Medicare for All.

Now let's examine another reason. If you are going to post something like this about insurance companies, why don't you try explaining to us why it is okay for physicians to earn on average four to five times the median annual household income?

[herring_RN, ASN, BSN]

Medicare sets physicians fee schedules.

https://www.cms.gov/PhysicianFeeSched/PFSFRN/itemdetail.asp?filterType=none&filterByDID=-99&sortByDID=4&sortOrder=descending&itemID=CMS1236707&intNumPerPage=10

We the people have some input into this.

Nurses, doctors, other healthcare and rescue workers work is priceless. We save lives and help people deal with ilness or injury.

Insurance corporations own big buildings where people work who don't provide any healthcare at all.

But those at the top are paid with premium dollars paid for the provision of healthcare in case we need it.

[Jstand]

Medicare sets physicians fee schedules.

https://www.cms.gov/PhysicianFeeSched/PFSFRN/itemdetail.asp?filterType=none&filterByDID=-99&sortByDID=4&sortOrder=descending&itemID=CMS1236707&intNumPerPage=10

We the people have some input into this.

Nurses, doctors, other healthcare and rescue workers work is priceless. We save lives and help people deal with ilness or injury.

Insurance corporations own big buildings where people work who don't provide any healthcare at all.

But those at the top are paid with premium dollars paid for the provision of healthcare in case we need it.

Work is work, so we won't even go into that. No work is priceless, so spare me the matters of life and death stuff. Don't belittle the work of employees of insurance companies just because they don't do what you do. Those are the top are paid a fair price for what they do. This is no more wasteful than the dollar paid to the doctor for unnecessary services that they order.

[herring_RN, ASN, BSN]

I trust my NP or physician to know which tests or procedures I need than an insurance company executive who neither examined nor assessed me.

And I can discuss my healthcare needs with my provider.

[RN4MERCY]

Work is work, so we won't even go into that. No work is priceless, so spare me the matters of life and death stuff. Don't belittle the work of employees of insurance companies just because they don't do what you do. Those are the top are paid a fair price for what they do. This is no more wasteful than the dollar paid to the doctor for unnecessary services that they order.

So, the question is, what do they (insurance companies) do? They don't provide any care.

What work do the employees do? Sell empty promises on several sheets of paper with fine print all over it. Who knows what's in there?

I know what my doctor and nurse practitioner do for me, they provide care and they deserve to be paid for their work. Wasteful? C'mon! Unnecessary services? Most doctors and NPs that I know can't order what they need in terms of tests and exams for patients, because insurers refuse to pay for them...some bean counter's denial will cause a delay in diagnosis or assessment of a condition.

Insurance company "work" is to make money for their shareholders, not provide care.

Medicare doesn't exist to make a profit; it is a single-payer service. That's why it is more cost effective.

The goverment already pays for a majority of the health care in this country. If they weren''t paying money to insurers, who take a huge percentage out for marketing, overhead, and executive compensation (i.e. waste)---there'd be more money left to pay for care for more people.