Tag Archives: unintended consequences

Health reform bill and preexisting conditions

Posted on November 8, 2009 by Brian Schwartz

Section 211-213 of HR 3962 basically says that insurance companies must offer coverage (guaranteed issue) and charge the same premium (community rating) to everyone regardless of their medical history.  The November 8  Daily Camera (Boulder, CO) printed my brief opposition … Continue reading →

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Obama Care: encourage insurers to avoid the sick, cater to healthy

Posted on September 16, 2009 by Brian Schwartz

Typically profit-seeking companies try to sell products that their customers want.  Not so with insurance companies when they must charge the same premium to high-risk patients as low-risk patients.  Such a political control is known as “community rating.” Michael Cannon … Continue reading →

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Colorado SB 61: insurers might deny fewer claims, but at what cost?

Posted on April 16, 2009 by Brian Schwartz

Colorado SB 061 is a case of what is seen and what is not unseen.  What is seen: fewer denied insurance claims (probably).  What is not seen: increased insurance premiums and more people who cannot afford insurance. The bill summary … Continue reading →

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Mandated insurance…runaway costs…price controls, political rationing

Posted on March 31, 2009 by Brian Schwartz

The Wall Street Journal‘s commentary on Massachusetts-style government-run medicine and how it’s a model for a national disaster.  So snippets: In Massachusetts’s latest crisis, Governor Deval Patrick and his Democratic colleagues are starting to move down the path that government … Continue reading →

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Obama encourages insurers to deny coverage

Posted on October 9, 2008 by Brian Schwartz

Michael Cannon has written an excellent critique of an Obama campaign ad on health care.  Here’s a part on denying care: Obama encourages insurers to deny coverage.  If the average 18-year-old makes $1,000 in claims per year, the average 55-year-old makes $20,000 in … Continue reading →

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Colorado Amendment 56: bad idea

Posted on July 30, 2008 by Brian Schwartz

From Monday’s Denver Post: the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 plans to submit its signatures for a pair of initiatives Wednesday. The UFCW measures would mandate companies with 20 or more employees to provide health-care coverage… [Amendment 56] … Continue reading →

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Guaranteed issue & community rating backfire

Posted on June 23, 2008 by Brian Schwartz

From a recent report by Americas Health Insurance Plans and Milliman, Inc.: Guarantee[d] issue requires insurers to sell an individual health insurance policy without regard to a person’s health and community rating requires that all consumers pay the same or … Continue reading →

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Colorado regulations deny woman coverage

Posted on June 3, 2008 by Brian Schwartz

Mark Kilmer at StateHouseCall.org found this story in the New York Times, which illustrates why we should be free to buy insurance that meets regulations of any state.  It’s also an example of unintended consequences of political controls. He summarizes … Continue reading →

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Politicians: save us from human nature!

Posted on May 29, 2008 by Brian Schwartz

Addition to Tuesday’s post on medical care in the Czech Republic: An intriguing part of Sunday’s New York Times article about medical care in the Czech Republic was a quote by Harvard’s Marc J. Roberts, included in the excerpt below: … Continue reading →

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