I think it is important that we point out the obscenities that we see every day in life. The danger is that too many people begin to accept, out of resignation and a feeling of helplessness, stupendously immoral standards. Today it’s this one: insurance companies profit because Americans are too poor to go to the doctor.
From Bloomberg:
WellPoint Inc., the largest U.S. health insurer by enrollment, reported fourth-quarter profit that rose more than analyst estimates as a national jobless rate above 9 percent kept Americans out of doctors’ offices. [emphasis added]
And…
WellPoint benefited from cost-conscious Americans deferring medical treatment, a trend that reduced expenses for all health insurers in the past two years. A slow start to the 2010-2011 flu season also led to lower use of care, the company said. The savings were limited because WellPoint was forced to accept lower rate increases than it proposed in California and the insurer’s commercial enrollment has declined, said Jason Gurda, an analyst with Boston-based Leerink Swann & Co.[emphasis added]
Translation: high unemployment is great business for insurance companies. And, damn, if rate increases had been higher–sending even more people fleeing from doctors’ offices–WellPoint could have made more profit.
War is Peace
Freezing programs for the people but funding more war.
Giving more tax cuts to corporations.
Insurers making money because people are too broke to be healthy.
It all fits together.
But, we should not accept it.
