"In place of the variety of products that competition would generate, we would be forced "choose" among virtually identical insurance plans. Government would define these plans down to the last detail. Every one would have at least the same "basic" coverage, including physical exams, maternity benefits, well-baby care, alcoholism treatment and mental-health services. Consumers could not buy a cheap, high-deductible catastrophic policy. Every insurance company would have to use an identical government-designed pricing structure. Prices would be the same for sick and healthy.
In this respect, it wouldn't matter whether or not Congress created a "public option," a government insurance plan. In either case, bureaucrats would dictate virtually every aspect of the health-insurance business."
We've seen evidence of this 'one size fits all' pricing structure with medicaid & medicare. They're such a penny pinching poor fit that many physicians are refusing to participate in these bureaucratic nightmares which costs the doctors more money than they are worth.
Private companies are legion, and provide the most responsive option for consumers and the highest return for physician involvement.
According to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), in 2007 (the latest available report), there were 125 major insurance companies operating in the U.S. of A. The top ten were:
1) UNITEDHEALTH GRP
2) WELLPOINT INC GRP
3) KAISER FOUNDATION GRP
4) HUMANA GRP
5) AETNA GRP
6) HCSC GRP
7) AMERICAN FAMILY CORP GRP
8) HIGHMARK GRP
9) INDEPENDENCE BLUE CROSS GRP
10)CIGNA HLTH GRP
One hundred and twenty-five major insurance companies. Does any thinking adult really believe that introducing the federal gub'mint as the 126th company will make these global, multi-billion dollar companies wee-wee on their balance sheets and change their business model??
Pres. Obama is disingenuous, at best, or lying, at worst.
Or he is simply ignorant of the subject.
But power grabs are made of such things.
And one never wants to p*ss off the new priesthood, baby.