Hulk—so wouldnt that happen with any co-op? I didnt know that nay of them were still non-profit. Well, there are plenty of so-called “non-profits” that make a tidy profit, though.

If health care is part of the “fre mkt” system , it would be kindve stupid to NOT make a profit. I just dont think that they should. Or , at least, people should be given a chance to not have their life and death decisaions be made on Wall St, by some f*cking broker..

BCBS used to be a group of state level mutual companies.  The cooperated via a national entity BCA to coordinate benefits and compare costs.  Physicians and hospitals influenced them and helped define the “usual and customary” charges for services rendered.  They tried to be non-profit and, in earlier days, operated on about 4 cents of every premium dollar for their “members” (each policyholder was considered a member - as if each owned a piece of the company .... a vested interest in keeping costs low).  In fact, the policy in those days was “pay and pursue” - i.e. they paid the providers and then, if charges exceeded the usual and customary, pursued the providers to justify differences.  Patients were not hounded into bankruptcy nearly as often. 
  By contrast, most former BCBS insurers have moved to the profits-to-the-max model - with patients being targets rather than providers.  Moreover, some insurers have even been sued by providers (hospitals and physicians) for non-payment and significantly delayed payments. 
  Sure reminds one of the Matt Damon movie “The Rainmaker”.

It doesnt really matter now. The insurance industry won the day Obama was nominated.

We’ve already tried the “co-ops” crap, sheeples! That is what Blue Cross/Blue Shield started out to be!

As long as there is Capitalism in matters of life and death, any co-op will end up being sold to the highest bidder.

People think that they have “choice” now—lol! Who do you think “decided” how long you would stay in the hospital for different procedures or illnesses? Doctors?! This was decided when Generous Motors and BC/BS got together with Union bosses to screw the working class—just enough to frighten them, and, Merkins being cowardly by nature of their faux meritocracy, just swallowed it whole.

They did statistical analyses to figure out what would make them the most profit, whether or not it provided decent health care to anyone—does it take 28 days to become ‘un-addicted” to drugs? Less than 48 hrs to rest after childbirth? (which is best done at home, anyway)Are people re-admitted too often to the hospital?—Yes! Because they were let out too soon in the first place!

People who think that the public plan is “
just too radical” are so far gone that they deserve to not have health care. But they already have irt.