If You Could Pass a Law Making It Mandatory To Buy Your Product?
 

If you could pass a law making it mandatory to buy your product, wouldn't you raise the price as high as possible? Shit, There is no more competition, You don't have to lower prices to get customers, It's the law!

Well, That's what the insurance companies and the democrats in their back pockets did by passing this so called health care law that makes you a criminal if you don't buy one of their buddies health insurance plans.

This is all you need to know about the new law. Now either buy it and get raped or don't and be a criminal just for existing.

Yeah but the competition will keep the price down...supposedly. How are you going to mark your product up 500% when you have hundreds of others trying to undercut you?

Great post :thumbsup
Ima lobby to pass a law that requires all citizens to have sharp knives. And can only go thru my knife sharpening business to get them. Otherwise, pay a penalty or go to jail!

The one difference is that that there are multiple people offering that product so they have to have at least somewhat competitive prices in order to attract buyers.

Multiple bank owned insurance companies? What if the same foreign banks own them all, then what?

Let's see you break into the insurance industry now, with your entrepreneurial skills. k

I guess it depends. Are all of these banks also owned by the same person? If not then you have multiple banks that own multiple companies that all are offering the same product and they are still competing with each other.

When I browse the plans available in my state there are about a dozen companies to buy from. For a base silver plan the price can vary between companies by as much as $100. The big difference is what you get for the money. One company offers a plan a $1,000 annual deductible and $20 co pays for doctor visits and another offers $25 co pays but a $2,500 annual deductible ad they are only $10 per month apart in price.

Um, last time I checked, there is more than one insurance company?

What you're suggesting would run afoul of antitrust laws. Collusion in the form you describe is 100% illegal.

Edit: Went back and added reference links because I am almost certain I am speaking above your level.

Of course there is. All written by the same. You should substitute "company" for "conglomerate"

So what you are saying is that there is a global "conglomerate" that owns all of the insurance companies in the US and they all offer the same products at about the same prices as a way to fool us into thinking there is competition when in fact all the money ends up back in the same pockets?

I could have sworn that when the big govt. bailout took place...the MAIN company that got bailed out was a corporation called AIG

Remember that? AIG.

And we were told by the media that AIG was "too big to fail" because...
They were THE insurance company.

All other insurance companies are under them. Without AIG all the insurance companies would go out of business.

So doesn't that sort of mean that there really is only ONE insurance company and all the ones we buy from are just different branding of the REAL insurance company: AIG?

And if that is not true...then we were lied to during the bailout.

Either they are lying now, or they lied then.

My understanding was that AIG was the big insurer of banks and financial institutions. If they went down all of those banks would have crashed as well because all of their bad deals would have not been covered. Or, at least, so they say. To me the bailout was a big money grab and they gave us a good story as to why it had to happen.

I don't doubt that there are some big companies that own many different insurance companies. I just don't think there is a global conspiracy in place to try to fool people into buying insurance at a specific price by making them think there is competition when their really isn't.

As far as I know...isn't the USA the only country that has people that buy health insurance for "everyday use"? So no, there is no "global conspiracy" because the rest of the world isn't being fucked over. Just us.

I hear that all other "civilized" countries have govt. health care (single pay...no health insurance company required).
And since everything related to medical expense (doctor, hospital, prescription drugs) is 300 to 400 percent cheaper in all other countries...

Yeah, I think that the U.S. govt. is definitely holding hands with the insurance, hospital, and big pharma to fuck the citizens of the U.S.

And even if you believe the fairy tale of "health insurance" (not catastrophic...but everyday use), then it's pretty obvious that when the federal govt. made laws saying that you can't even buy health insurance across state lines (because health insurance from a company based in Montana would be a lot cheaper than buying it from a company in New York) is 100% proof that there is a conspiracy to stop people from getting the most value (if you believe this shit) for their dollar.

I know for sure that the government is in league with the insurance companies and pharm companies and medical companies to help drive up prices. I don't doubt it for a second. I just don't think it is some grand conspiracy. I think it is like many other industries. Over time with lobbyist and political contributions these big companies have managed to get laws and regulations passed that aid them greatly and we the general consumer get fucked.

I don't think there is some group of guys who meet once a year in some shady room and sit around a table planning how they are going continue to fool all of us.

AIG has a large reinsurance business. In other words, they insure other insurance companies.

I spoke to one guy today about Obama care starting today.
He said he thinks it's good, everyone gets free health care. I said, NO, You have to buy insurance or you are a criminal and have to pay a fine. He said, No It is all covered. I just laughed and said ok. Have fun. You must be an ignorant democrat.