Regular readers of the ALO news remember that massive corporations and their high paid bosses have often been the subject of criticism here, and big insurance companies have been identified as the worst because of their ability to squeeze the folks who look to insurance in time of need. That situation was highlighted recently when an insurance executive was gunned down in New York City. Some thoughts on that are in order.
ALO would never advocate violence to resolve disputes. But the violence reveals the harsh feelings about big insurance companies generated in our society. ALO has tangled with many of the largest insurance companies, and has come away with very little good to say about them. Health insurers are maybe the worst. It helps to look at their role in American medical delivery and realize there is little reason for them in the first place. All of the other developed nations of the world have universal health care which eliminates the need for health insurance. America’a private health care system is designed so that health insurance companies act as a middle man to spread the cost of medical care among more people to prevent economic disaster stemming from serious illness or accident. Other countries do that through taxation which spreads the cost through the entire population, involving all wage earners instead of those lucky enough to have an employer who provides the insurance.
On its surface health insurance seems like a system to aid the average American but it has grown into a huge drain on that same group, adding a bureaucratic approval process and immense cost to the medical care system. In short people seeking medical care must navigate both an insurance process and a hospital process, both extremely expensive, to get basic health care. Each system generates billions of dollars of profit every year, paid mostly by private citizens. People always ask who would pay for universal health care administered by the government, and the answer is the same people who now pay for it, only the cost would be dramatically lower. For instance United Health Care, based in Minnesota, had $281 billion in revenue in 2023, and generated profit of about $23 billion. That’s just one of more than 1,000 such companies in America. Americans spent $4.5 trillion on health care in 2022 and about 30 percent of that was on private health insurance. It is easy to see the savings that could happen if the middle man was removed from the health care system. But why doesn’t it happen? With immense profit comes the ability to influence public policy through lobbying , advertising, and political donations. The insurance industry, like most of the biggest companies in America, have great control over government. Meanwhile United Health Care recently decided it needed to make more money and tightened its policy on denials of coverage, meaning more denials. Those denials leave customers who pay their premiums without any assistance in paying their medical bills. Many are forced into bankruptcy. Is it a great surprise that someone victimized by that might resort to violence?? It is no different in the auto insurance industry where many insurance companies routinely deny all or part of a claim when first asked just to see if the claimant really means business. That is especially so for claimants without an attorney. It is a well-known fact that a certain number of claimants drop their claim when told no, which of course saves an insurance company a large amount of money over time.
The solution to the health care mess is very obvious to most observers. Medicare for all is a phrase that is often used, and with good reason. The Medicare program provides a system by which eligible individuals are provided medical care through a government funded agency that deals directly with doctors to provide needed medical services to elders. Similar programs exist for people involved with the military and for Native Americans. Those programs of course have been criticized for various shortcomings, but none of those criticisms rise to the level of the criticisms now leveled at the private health insurance industry. Expanding the current government funded health programs to include everyone would of course be expensive, but most who have examined the cost agree that there would be huge savings as compared to the current private insurance system. Those who oppose being taxed to pay for government funded medical care programs forget that they are now being taxed an immense amount by the insurance companies without recourse. It becomes a matter of choosing your poison. As a bottom line, it is worth noting that America’s average life expectancy has steadily dropped and is currently ranked about 45th in the world, behind most other developed nations with universal health care. And as an elder who uses Medicare and mingles with others who do as well, it is clear the main complaint about it is the number of medical providers who do not accept Medicare. With Universal Medicare that issue would disappear.
As usual LaMont Albertson posted a pertinent quote on this subject.
Then Jesus said unto the sick, "You better have Insurance." Then Jesus said unto the stranger, "Are you here legally?" Then Jesus said unto the hungry, "My taxes better not be paying for these loaves and fishes."
Lamont also posted an excellent cartoon that rings very true.
Laureli Ivanoff is often referenced here for her thoughtful writing about rural Alaska. She recently relocated to Anchorage, and is still writing and still worth reading.
Former Bethel kid Randy Hanson is a high school wrestling coach in Anchorage. This article suggests he is doing a good job.
Tikchik Narrows Lodge has updated its website and the new one is worth checking out. Or you could get a small taste of the Lodge experience here.
Long time Lodge guide Steve King has a You Tube page where he posts videos on various stuff, including his experiences as a guide. Check his video of Sunset Camp, an outpost visited by many Lodge guests.
Mandatory Moose & Other Characters
This month’s Mandatory Moose was provided by Greg Parvin, an attorney who works with ALO on some cases. This is from his yard in Homer, Alaska.
This black bear encountered a scary sight in the woods.
ALO Update
Depositions are mostly done by zoom these days and Jack the dog often attends those events. His reaction to the witness is often the same as the attorney sitting next to him.
With video cameras everywhere, the public often gets to see events that otherwise might be considered private. This guy is Joe Ryan, a starting pitcher for the Minnesota Twins in the dugout.
Speaking of videos, sometimes its important to get the big picture.
A Green Light For Environmental Disaster
Folks are busy analyzing the recent election and most ignore one of the most important consequences the vote. This page has spoken often of the status of the environment, and this election is alarming when it comes to the direction that environmental protection is likely to go. The prospects are dire. America has placed in charge a group of people starting with the President that has little concern about the environment. It has done so despite longstanding evidence of the deterioration of the earth’s condition, which has accelerated dramatically in recent years. In fact, scientists now say they underestimated the speed of global warming based on recent measurements which show the earth warming faster that predicted. That includes all aspects of warming including lakes, rivers and oceans, land forms and average global temperatures. Meanwhile wildlife has disappeared at a distressing rate, as carbon dioxide increases steadily in the atmosphere. And how about the tangible results of global warming? Snow and ice is disappearing from places it has been for thousands of years, and winter is shorter everywhere. As predicted, winds are increasing, storms of all kinds are more frequent and intense, and when it does rain or snow the amount of precipitation is often immense. Meanwhile the incoming administration has said it intends to reduce government control over activities that harm the environment such as mining and oil drilling. For example, Trump said recently he planned to expedite federal regulatory approvals, including all environmental permits, for any company or individual proposing to invest $1 billion or more in a construction project. After 70 years of personal high interest in Mother Nature, it is depressing to know that despite recent progress in some areas, the next few years likely will see steady regression in environmental protection. Already millions have had their living situation disrupted by Mother Nature and soon it will be hundreds of millions and no government is currently equipped to deal with that prospect. It will not be a smooth ride.
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