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Senators Question Insurers' Premium Hikes
Senate Finance Committee Chairmen Max Baucus and Jay Rockefeller wrote a letter this week asking WellPoint, United, Aetna, Health Care Services Corp., and CIGNA asking them to explain their "unnecessary" 2011 premium increases.
As long as private insurance and more specifically EMPLOYERS continue to have to subsidize hospitals for the underpayment by Medicare and Medicaid, carriers WILL continue to raise premiums. I contend they will raise them in at an even FASTER rate after the passage of this bill. Why? Because there will be more people on both gov't programs. If carriers want to slow increases in raising rates, offer international options for surgery. JCI Accredited hospitals don't have to deal with a cost shift like US facilities do.
This is not called "ACA," but rather, "PPACA" (PACK uh).
The letters sent by Secretary Sebelius and the two Senators to insurance companies clearly constitute a violation of free speech - "stop telling your members that you are raising insurance rates because of PPACA OR ELSE...". The purpose of the Bill of Rights is precisely to avert this kind of action by government officials (imagine: "stop publishing opposition leaders in your newspaper OR ELSE..."). They should expect lawsuits.