Inner workings of a PR campaign

rdan

Wendall Potter in his new position at the Center for Media and Democracy will hopefully provide insights into the inner workings of his former employer, health insurance company CIGNA corporation. Bill Moyers has a series of interviews scheduled where Wendall Potter lays out his case.

As a consumer, if predictions come true that premiums double in the next ten years if we leave the current system in place, (?$30,000 a year? for a family plan), and my wages increase about 15%, rationing and lack of coverage are guaranteed, including the predictions of reducing treatment for old people….except it would be done privately by companies like BC/BS, by a faceless employee. Intelligent cost control anyone???!!

Update: A national average is about 12,800, so a doubling would be less at $25,600/year.

Update 2: Reader Wasaa says: “Your rate of doubling from $12,800 to $25,600 a year assumes that the same percentager of businesses will offer health insurance benefits to their employees. What we have seen over the past 10 years is the % of small businesses providing health insurance to their employees has plummeted to around 30%. Small businesses get whacked very hard because there is no adequate pool in which to be a member that will drive costs down. My insurance is $18,000/yr for the family (with a pre-existing condition clause and a $5K individual/ $10K family deductable). As insurance becomes more expensive, less businesses will provide it causing even higher costs to be born by the individuals who still have insurance.”

BLS offers these stats on who pays: BLS