Obama Cabinet Secretary: 'The Private Market is in a Death Spiral'

Obama Cabinet Secretary: 'The Private Market is in a Death Spiral'
(She's talking about health insurance)


That's what Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said to the House Ways and Means Committee !!

Well Kath, if the industry is in a death spiral, why would you and your friends support private insurance mandates ?

Especially at super high prices and employers dropping employee coverage ??? ..

She sounds crazier than Nancy Pelosi sometimes I swear

(CNSNews.com) – Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius told the House Ways and Means Committee on Tuesday that the days of private health insurance are coming to an end in the United States.

“The private market is in a death spiral,” Sebelius said, contending this would be the case whether or not President Barack Obama's health care law had been enacted.

I think she is confused or something ?

(CNSNews.com) – Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius told the House Ways and Means Committee on Tuesday that the days of private health insurance are coming to an end in the United States.

“The private market is in a death spiral,” Sebelius said, contending this would be the case whether or not President Barack Obama's health care law had been enacted.

At the Ways and Means hearing, Rep. Peter Roskam (R-Ill.) asked Sebelius about the administration’s assurances that people who liked their current health insurance plan would be able to keep it under the new law.

“How about when the president said you can keep your health care coverage, if you like it?” Roskam said. “And yet, the reality is, according to Bloomberg (News) at least, 9 percent fewer businesses are offering medical coverage than in 2010. There the rhetoric didn’t meet the reality, did it?”

Sebelius did not contest the numbers.

[color=gold]“Well again, congressman, what you’re seeing, it wouldn’t have mattered if we had passed the Affordable Care Act or not,” she said. “The private market is in a death spiral.”

I guess the "mandate" does not include employers !!


Story & Video


The video is only a few seconds, but she tries real hard to wave her hands and pound the table !!
(all while attempting to look intelligent at the same time


The rhetoric does not meet the reality

Which insurance plan do YOU have Kathleen ?

Hmmm

Originally posted by xuenchen
Obama Cabinet Secretary: 'The Private Market is in a Death Spiral'
(She's talking about health insurance)

Gotta love the fine print there in brackets At least you sucker people into the thread.

Originally posted by xuenchen
That's what Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said to the House Ways and Means Committee !!

Not sure if she said that, I don't trust sources like CNS News...which literally used to stand for "Conservative News Service" before they made it an acronym in hopes of fooling people into thinking they weren't simply a resource for biased, spun, BS. At least they are honest with thier tagline "The right news, right now"

Well Kath, if the industry is in a death spiral, why would you and your friends support private insurance mandates ?

? That was a GOP demand and a compromise. The GOP wouldn't budge unless their friends got paid somehow.

(CNSNews.com) –

“How about when the president said you can keep your health care coverage, if you like it?” Roskam said. “And yet, the reality is, according to Bloomberg (News) at least, 9 percent fewer businesses are offering medical coverage than in 2010. There the rhetoric didn’t meet the reality, did it?”

9% fewer businesses stopped providing health coverage in 2010???

Bullsh&^...this is why CSN NEWS Sucks

The Bloomberg article states..

The average cost of a family policy climbed 9 percent in 2011 to $15,073, according to a poll of 2,088 private companies and state and local government agencies

www.bloomberg.com...

The number of businesses providing healthcare actually INCREASED

How? With rising costs by private insurers? Because of the tax breaks "Obamacare" affords those businesses to offset costs.

Don't believe me? How about the conservative Forbes Magazine?

More Small Businesses Offering Health Care to Employees Thanks to Obamacare

WOW...Most of the OP looks to be complete BS thus far.

As far as the market for Private Insurance being in a death spiral...whether she said it or not I hope it is true.

Medical Bills have been the #1 cause of personal bankruptcey in the USA for over a decade...and Cancer doesn't care about your political idealogy or how hard you work.

Even with the recession, unemployment and housing collapse...MEDICAL BILLS are still NUMBER ONE for crushing families and forcing them into bankruptcey.

Medical costs in the USA has skyrocketed in the past 20 years..growing exponentially faster than wages, cost of living, GDP, inflation and every other economic indicator that matters.

The system is broken and Obamacare cannot come online fast enough.

The GOP can repeal it right after the ban contraception, eliminate taxes for all millionaires and institute a Plutocratic, Christian Sharia Republic.

Good luck...maybe just keep posting propaganda from the Conservative News Service...another sucker is born each day and hope springs anew.

Originally posted by xuenchen
She sounds crazier than Nancy Pelosi sometimes I swear

The two of them certainly look like they are competing for the title of 'who is the biggest nut in the democratic party'.

Originally posted by Indigo5
WOW...Most of the OP looks to be complete BS thus far.

Who is wrong?? The ATS opening poster ... or the Cabinet Secretary for saying that the private market is in a death spiral? I'm not sure which you are saying.

Equitably it is without doubt that President Obama inherited a heap of trouble from several previous administrations on many fronts. It is too soon to judge whether the Presidents new healthcare policy is having a positive effect, as much of it doesn’t even go into affect for two more years.

Regardless, according to information supplied by the US Census Bureau website*: facts are during the calendar period 2009 through 2010; 900,000 people became uninsured in approximately a one year period.

Further more during the period 2008 through 2010; 8,279,000 people LOST their employment based healthcare and the information shows that only 1,634,000 (this number could be statistically flawed and eventually represent "less" people after 18 months due to COBRA insurance) people could afford to purchase health care directly.

During the period 2008 through 2010 information indicates that 5,549,000 people were added to medicaid.

According to census bureau information, the percentage of people covered by private health insurance has been decreasing since 2001.

I would suggest, given the flaws in all reporting systems, whether census bureau or other wise there are thousands, possibly millions more people without health insurance who statistically are not represented due to one of governments favorite terms, "falling through the cracks". These folks, and "I" am one of them cannot afford to purchase health care on the open market, and I'm sure many like I do not qualify for social programs of any sort and in my case I am 12 months away from qualifying for medicare.

I pay for my own prescriptions, I haven't seen a doctor or dentist in more than three years and I count my blessing at the end of each day that I have been able to get by without medical care I don't have and can't afford.

I cannot see much except a death spiral.

*www.census.gov...

You know, if Health insurance is the center of this discussion consider
that health care costs are currently 2.5 Trillion. Doctor reimbursement
is shrinking, so are wages, while premiums go up and up. Pretty soon
the middle men are going to make health insurance a luxury item, because
the two primary agents of facility are not in the position to bargain or
change the terms of the middle men. People need insurance and doctors
need business. It is the same with gas prices,
we cannot effect the prices, so we are squeezed there too.

I think it is fair to say this course is not sustainable, all these businesses
that don't actually provide anything but agency and control are gonna ruin
the economy. People aren't any less willing to work, it is the nature of
business that is changing.

reply to post by FlyersFan


I summed it up pretty succinctly in my post, playing dumb does not suit you well.

reply to post by Indigo5


Pretty good rebuttal.

It does look like that Congressman mis-quoted (or mis-understood) the Bloomberg article !!
(funny )

I think a lot of healthcare coverage that has been dropped is more likely the result of people being knocked down to part time status, or being unemployed.

Many companies require a 32 hour average workweek per quarter.
(not sure if that's an insurance requirement)



But just the same, he are some opposing views again:

(quote from the same hearing I think):

March 1, 2012

Sebelius replied, “Well again, congressman, what you’re seeing… It wouldn’t have mattered if we had passed the Affordable Care Act or not. The private market is in a death spiral.”

This is objectively untrue, as studies show the number of employers dropping medical insurance is steadily growing in the wake of ObamaCare. A recent study showed 30 percent of employers would “definitely” or “probably” stop offering coverage after 2014, when ObamaCare’s “public exchanges” are up and running.

Thursdays with John Hayward

But no source is given either !!

But the hint is that employers may just let the pools handle the insurance.

And she did say "the private market is in a death spiral":
(at the end)

Youtube caption:

Transcript, Ways & Means Committee Hearing, 02/28/12:

Chief Deputy Whip Roskam: "How about when the president said you can keep your healthcare coverage if you like it. And yet, the reality is, according to Bloomberg at least, 9% fewer businesses are offering medical coverage than in 2010. There the rhetoric didn't meet the reality, did it?

HHS Secretary Sebelius: "Well again, Congressman, what you're seeing -- It wouldn't have mattered if we had passed the Affordable Care Act or not. The private market is in a death spiral."