“I am a health insurance lobbyist.”
March 11, 2010Jon Brooks Comments OffNo, that’s not a confession at a 12-step meeting for pariahs.
It’s the title of a long thread on Reddit, part of the social bookmarking site’s “IAmA AMA” feature, which stands for “I am a X, ask me anything.” The concept is simple: “Post what you are, have people ask you about yourself.”
Here’s the beginning of the thread:
First question: How do you live with yourself?
Lobbyist: I work for a non-profit company. We cover very many people for the lowest cost we can. That’s how. You would be surprised at home many “evil” insurance companies are actually non-profit companies. And the funny thing is that in my professional opinion, most of individual policies pieces in the House or Senate bills are going to be disastrous to the end consumer/user
Response: Yeah, non-profits where the executives make out like bandits.
Lobbyist: These are large, complex organizations that must be run in a certain way or they will fail. If you have an insurance company that insures 1.5 million people with over $750 million in revenue, what is appropriate?
Response: Do you believe the individual that can be found at 750,000 dollars a year is that much inferior to the one making 7.5 million dollars a year? Are they worth 7 heart transplants , including post-op care? (That was the cost I saw for a prisoner who got a heart transplant.)
Lobbyist: I don’t understand the “Do you believe the individual that can be found at 750,000 dollars a year is that much inferior to the one making 7.5 million dollars a year?” Can you clarify? Like I said in another post, I would rather have competing private bureaucracies to choose from rather than the monopolistic government bureaucracy that will make the decision for me.
LongBallLarry: Is that what all health insurance lobbyists say?
Lobbyist: I don’t know. I don’t know all health insurance lobbyists. Have you seen a doctor about your long ball? You better get it checked out.
LongBallLarry: No, I don’t have insurance.
Lobbyist: Contact doctors and ask for a price! Its amazing that so many people don’t shop around for non-emergency issues. Look for charity hospitals or other organizations that help cover the uninsured like you.
Response: You shouldn’t have to bargain and beg for health care. No matter how you spin it, it’s just wrong.
Lobbyist: We’ll have to differ at this point. I think people should be asking, how much does this cost and how effective are you? I think that if someone needs help that they should ask, not beg. I think it is admirable that so many people volunteer and offer their services to those who are less fortunate.
Response: I want to see you calling around, checking prices next time something cuts a limb off you. You are living in a fantasy. Your job is to convince all of us to join your fantasy.
Lobbyist: That is where you would be surprised. An accident like that has a very low chance of happening again. There are expected costs in prosthetics. It is easy for the underwriters to gauge expected costs. That is how they base the premiums you pay.
For more IAmA, look at the post we did on “I was once a homeless meth addict.”
