Now California’s new insurance commissioner Dave Jones wants this hike delayed while he investigates the proposed hikes.   Blue Shield isn’t the only carrier trying to jack-up its rates.  Aetna and Pacific Care have also proposed sizable rate hikes.   Aetna just raised its rates an average of 19% in October.  It now wants to raise them again by nearly 20%.    Yikes!!!

It’s easy for you and me to point our fingers at our health insurance carriers for the ever-rising cost of our coverage.  We can clearly see how big of a bite that insurance costs take out of our checking accounts.  Insurance industry profits are high in spite of their cries of losing money.

But what it there’s some truth in the insurance company claims that we’re using our plans more than ever and that their costs are rising?  Is it possible that doctors, medical equipment providers and hospitals are raising their fees too?  I think so.  But it’s hard for you and I as consumers to know that the doctor we just visited paid the medical supplier more for its MRI equipment and the nurses higher wages than it paid to them a year ago.

The high cost of medical care is a Killing many consumers’ budgets and frankly, I’m not sure where the solution lies.  Health Care Reform has made some inroads into making coverage more accessible to us all.  But it hasn’t yet addressed the spiraling costs that may derail the entire system if people can no longer afford proper medical care.

This site doesn’t appear to be leaning in any political direction. Just the truth, whether it favors conservatives or liberals, pro or anti-reformists, etc.

The site sets straight, many of the lies that both sides of the health reform debate are spreading.  I highly recommend it for those who can handle the truth.

“Dear Representative Wilson:
I’m a proud American. It’s bad enough that you blurted out your insult to the President during a major speech. But your insult tonight is inaccurate. Nowhere in the bills now making their way through Congress, is there mention of Illegal Aliens getting coverage. In fact, the bills specifically exclude illegal aliens. Only LEGAL aliens would be covered under the proposed legislation.

Your “death panel” comment in the newspaper a couple of weeks ago is also wrong. In the past, Medicare didn’t cover end-of-life counseling by physicians. The proposed legislation mandates that medicare pay for this kind of counseling FOR PEOPLE THAT WANT IT every five years.

If you’d bothered to read the bills being considered, you’d know the above two points to be true.

The problem with your behavior and your misinformation is that not only do your constituents see it, but the rest of the world does, too. You make our country appear like a “banana republic.” Your behavior embarrasses our country in the eyes of the world.

I share your disagreement with parts of the proposed health care reform now on Capital Hill. But rather than spread lies and create fear, I propose that we present alternative proposals. If all you can do is blurt out insults and participate in fear-mongering, please get out of the way of legislators that are serious about making our health care system more effective for all of us.

Respectfully,
Robert Lehrer”