Why We Need Universal Healthcare
May 19th, 2008 at 4:50 pm by Susie
Oh, the joys of a for-profit healthcare system!
The nation’s largest publicly traded health plans say they don’t plan to temper premium increases for the sake of keeping members on their rolls — particularly not while they are under pressure from Wall Street over what it sees as their disappointing earnings.
Wall Street analysts were shaken over the long-term prospects of the health plan business after bellwethers WellPoint and UnitedHealth Group, the nation’s two largest private-pay plans, reported less-than-expected profits from the first three months of this year.
…most say their risk-based commercial numbers — representing traditional employer health benefits — are declining or are not growing as quickly as anticipated. But health insurers say cutting premiums or reducing the rate of increase to keep customers would affect their bottom lines more than losing some members over premium hikes.
United CEO Stephen Hemsley told investors: “We continue to protect our margins. … We are committed to sustaining a quality business without taking shortsighted pricing positions.”
“We will not sacrifice profitability for membership,” WellPoint President and CEO Angela Braly told analysts during a conference call.
Health care should be treated as a public utility, not as a private profit center.