HMO rates to jump 12% in 2010, Hewitt study projects

And these predatory health insurance companies are demanding to be part of the solution to the health care mess?!??? They are also the ones that are demanding that no single-payer option be on the table since it would be so unfair to them. What has happened to the fairness and well being of American citizens?

Health insurance companies must have donated a lot of money (paid off) to a lot of Washington pols to get what is being discussed now - mandatory insurance bought from them for all citizens. The American people have been sold down the river again. Shameful. Listen up Dick Durbin. Start dancing with the girl that brought you - meaning the citizens of Illinois.

Get rid of lobbyists NOW!!!!!!!!!!

And my raise this year will be at least 12%, right?

I belong to an HMO and get good service. The raising of premiums by 10 to 12% will certainly lower my standard of living in terms of discretionary income! Save people save.

This is precisely why we need a health care bill with a robust public option, and why all insurance industry and pharmaceutical industry lobbyists should be tarred, feathered, drawn and quartered.

Obama, Give us lower cost health care to ALL! WE deserve it and insurance companies deserved to be regulated after all the pain they have caused our society in the name of "profit$".

This is why President Obama is correct in his desire to have a public plan to compete with private insurers who have been raising rates at an obscene rate.

I'm not sure where I stand on health care reform but with the insurance/HMO's increasing rates at 2x and 3x the rate of inflation year after year, it's hard to believe the conservatives who claim that only the private sector can provide the lowest cost, highest quality, most efficient health care. Sounds like the Right drinks lots of Kool-Aid like the Left does.......idiots.

The cost jumps 12% when there is competition between the insurance companies. Just wait until Obama's healthcare is in place when the government is the only game in town. How much will the cost jump when the government enjoys the monopoly in healthcare? A lot more than 12%.

Obama is planning to build the new healthcare system based on Medicare and Medicaid. The 2 systems that will go bankcrupt soon. What's he thinking?

The same people who complain about the 12% increase, for some reason, would not complain about an increase in income tax and other taxes.

How do you suppose that we pay for the "free" healthcare?

Only 12%? My premiums increased 23% this year alone for a family of 3. Unless something is done soon, health insurance costs are going to eat up any chance of an economic recovery. No way should the insurance company's have a seat at the table to fix this mess.

Didn't realize anybody still used HMOs. Several years ago, I started seeing signs that said Doctors didn't take HMO coverage. Doctor I used to see only kept seeing my family because we were grandfathered in. Funny, once we had a PPO, appointments got easier to schedule in reasonable times.

Carlos T Mock MD wrote:

This is why President Obama is correct in his desire to have a public plan to compete with private insurers who have been raising rates at an obscene rate.

No you really don't want a Universal Health care plan. At least now you can get in to see a Doctor. Get socialized medicine and the government will decide everything for you. This man is out of control with his love of Control. Wake up people!!!

You Are Kidding Me wrote:

The cost jumps 12% when there is competition between the insurance companies. Just wait until Obama's healthcare is in place when the government is the only game in town. How much will the cost jump when the government enjoys the monopoly in healthcare? A lot more than 12%.

Canadians, per capita, pay a little more than half what Americans pay, per capita, for healthcare. Britons pay about 40 percent less, per capita, than Americans pay. And yet everyone in those countries is covered, while here tens of millions of people aren't.
And Canadians have far more freedom to choose their healthcare providers than most Americans using private insurance.
It's time we stop letting the insurance lobby bully us by inserting ideology and political rhetoric into this debate. Most of the industrialized world moved on to universal healthcare a long time ago, and we need to wise up as well. It's a practical solution that would not only improve overall health in the U.S., but would save all of us money and make our businesses more competitive with foreign competitors that aren't burdened with these ever-rising costs.

In 6 years my premiums have already gone up 125%. Now another 12%? Let's get state provided healthcare already.

We, as a society, MUST get this under control. It's a disgrace. There are a lot of people in the health care business making a great deal of money from this ceiling-less pricing environment. This is especially true in the insurance game. Hang around the Blue Cross building some nice day at around lunchtime. You're bound to see some $100,000+ cars double-parked waiting to take BCBS execs to golf course meetings.

This has to stop.

A Guy wrote:

We, as a society, MUST get this under control. It's a disgrace. There are a lot of people in the health care business making a great deal of money from this ceiling-less pricing environment. This is especially true in the insurance game. Hang around the Blue Cross building some nice day at around lunchtime. You're bound to see some $100,000+ cars double-parked waiting to take BCBS execs to golf course meetings.
This has to stop.

I work there. I've never seen any $100,000.00 cars out front. I wish they were there to pick me up.

Instead you'll find me in a 6'x 5'cubicle. We don't even have access to "youtube," or "facebook." And our company just announced BlueCross is on facebook! In my department we're continually working to provide great customer service.