Comments on: AP finally reports on insurance industry’s thin margins

By: Shoreline Caucus » Blog Archive » Those Greedy Insurance companies….

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:42:34 +0000

[...] hotair: “While Democrats in Congress have spent months demonizing insurers as greedy villainous [...]

By: Rally Report: Susan Davis Office on Oct. 27th! « Temple of Mut

Rally Report: Susan Davis Office on Oct. 27th! « Temple of Mut — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:59:38 +0000

[...] arguments are even more laughable, as the real profit margin of insurance companies are now known (this report from the Associated Press, hardly the bastion of rightist conservative thought): Profits barely exceeded 2 percent of revenues in the latest annual measure. This partly explains [...]

By: Jesus is Lord, A Worshipping Christian’s Blog » Blog Archive » “Greedy Fat-Cat Insurers Gain 2.2 Percent Margin” by Jeff Schreiber

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 10:31:25 +0000

[...] Fat-Cat Insurers Gain 2.2 Percent Margin” by Jeff Schreiber Assigned Reading: AP Finally Reports on Thin Insurance Industry Margins(FROM: HotAir) The average profit margin for health insurers last year clocked in at an anemic 2.2%. [...]

By: AP finally reports on insurance industry’s thin margins | Legal-Sleaze.com

AP finally reports on insurance industry’s thin margins | Legal-Sleaze.com — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 22:38:45 +0000

[...] While Democrats in Congress have spent months demonizing insurers as greedy villainous monsters, from Barack Obama to Nancy Pelosi to Alan Grayson, the American media stood mute rather than report on the extent of this supposed greed. Why? It’s not as if these companies don’t have annual reports, or that business media haven’t tracked their performance. The publicly-traded companies have their bottom lines exposed for all to see, and yet the media has steadfastly whistled and looked askance rather than inform people about the extent of their demonic, villainous, greedy, filthy lucre. [...] Read the rest » [...]

By: The Claims vs. the Facts, Health Insurers Not So Profitable « Sea to Shining Sea

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 19:48:51 +0000

[...] better, Ed Morrissey over at Hot Air makes the point that the trial lawyers had a profit margin of 14%, six times larger than the health [...]

By: TrickyDick

TrickyDick — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:46:26 +0000

Now I know why the Obama administration decided to start wailing about H1N1 this weekend.

By: AP’s Woodward Fact-Checks Health Insurance Company Profits, Finds Them ‘Anemic’ | Yuvablog

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:53:59 +0000

[...] one other problem with Woodward’s Fact Check, expressed succinctly by Hot Air’s Ed Morrissey. It’s a big one, though not quite as big as it would have been before the Internet came [...]

By: Obscene Liberal Profits « The Pachyderms Are Annoyed

Obscene Liberal Profits « The Pachyderms Are Annoyed — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:37:16 +0000

[...] some of the claims being made by the left on health care. The latest… the “health insurance industry makes obscene profits” [...]

By: Health Insurance Profits Not Up To Par | thelobbyist

Health Insurance Profits Not Up To Par | thelobbyist — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:28:50 +0000

[...] Sunday, HotAir.com linked to an Associated Press article that explains how low the insurance industry’s profit margins [...]

By: jimmy2shoes

jimmy2shoes — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 11:05:56 +0000

Doctors across the nation have weighed in on the new Obama health care proposal.

The allergists voted to scratch it, but the dermatologists advised not to make any rash moves.

The gastroenterologists had sort of a gut feeling about it, but the neurologists thought the Administration had a lot of nerve.

The obstetricians felt they were all laboring under a misconception.

Ophthalmologists considered the idea shortsighted.

Pathologists yelled, “Over my dead body!” while the pediatricians said, “Oh, grow up!”

The psychiatrists thought the whole idea was madness, while the radiologists could see right through it.

Surgeons decided to wash their hands of the whole thing.

The internists thought it was a bitter pill to swallow, and the plastic surgeons said, “This puts a whole new face on the matter…”

The podiatrists thought it was a step forward, but the urologists were pissed off at the whole idea.

The anesthesiologists thought the whole idea was a gas, and the cardiologists didn’t have the heart to say no.

In the end the proctologists won out, leaving the entire decision up to the butt holes in Washington.

By: Fed45

Fed45 — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 06:34:45 +0000

In August, Humana posted $281.8 million earnings on just under $7.9 billion revenue. That’s about 3.5%

J_Crater on October 26, 2009 at 1:59 AM

I’m sure the shareholders where ecstatic when they heard those numbers

By: J_Crater

J_Crater — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 05:59:15 +0000

In August, Humana posted $281.8 million earnings on just under $7.9 billion revenue. That’s about 3.5%

By: BizzyBlog

BizzyBlog — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 05:00:40 +0000

[...] one other problem with Woodward’s Fact Check, expressed succinctly by Hot Air’s Ed Morrissey. It’s a big one, though not quite as big as it would have been before the Internet came [...]

By: gina4

gina4 — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 04:57:05 +0000

I can’t stand the stories anymore! These people in Government are so corrupt and devoid of any actual conscience that it makes me vomit!!!! My father can’t, or won’t, see what the Democrat Party has become. Wake up Smack Daddy!!

By: DBKP - Death By 1000 Papercuts - DBKP

DBKP - Death By 1000 Papercuts - DBKP — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 04:32:49 +0000

Greeting Card Cheap Shots, Formerly Gay Books Banned: Morning Intell…

Greeting cards cheap shots, SEIU Kabuki, Sandwiches with bacon that still don’t taste good, Steelers!, formerly-gay books banned, Mt. Flushmore, and more: Morning Intell, Monday October 26, 2009.
……

By: Fed45

Fed45 — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 03:18:29 +0000

“Yummmmm…profits…”

By: Fed45

Fed45 — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 03:14:16 +0000

I can’t for Barry to explain these “profit and earnings” ratios.

By: larvcom

larvcom — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 02:51:55 +0000

I too would jave liked to see something from the media especially FNC. Perhaps Stossel will get to do the story, who knows

By: Mojave Mark

Mojave Mark — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:59:30 +0000

This is going to get reposted at work and my facebook. Excellent blog.

By: ThackerAgency

ThackerAgency — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:20:21 +0000

Good post Ed.

Insurance companies are not without fault. But they try to make a profit by keeping people healthy efficiently.

Who would rather people use generic instead of name brand? Who would give their consumers incentives to lower costs with generics? insurance companies.

Who would have the incentive to get you to exercise or lose weight? The people paying for the doctor bills (insurance companies).

Who has a reason to police fraud vigorously? Insurance companies – the people paying the bills.

Insurance companies are not flawless, but the do provide a necessary service in the health care industry. You don’t want to have to haggle with a heart surgeon on rates when you need heart surgery. Insurance companies do that on your behalf to keep costs down.

Bottom line: Insurance companies make a profit when they make the system of keeping people healthy more efficient.

By: ExpressoBold

ExpressoBold — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:17:31 +0000

In Obama’s economic world, profit is a “real cost” and not the correctly defined implicit cost to compare to the opportunity cost of keeping entrepreneurial ability and effort from leaving its current employment and doing something else.
.
I don’t know if Obama has ever had any but the most elemental courses in macro and micro (which is how they are usually divided). He certainly is incorrectly characterizing the role of normal profit, which is the profit used to evaluate a business in a competitive industry.
.
Riddle me this: why won’t the “smart power” government change regulations to allow combinations of groups and associations of businesses and individuals to achieve premium reductions similar to those achieved by larger businesses?

By: Gazzer’s Gabfest » The skinny on DC fatcats…

Gazzer’s Gabfest » The skinny on DC fatcats… — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 23:42:13 +0000

[...] From Ed Morrissey over at Hot Air, look who else made out like bandits in the salary profits [...]

By: Griz

Griz — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 23:41:51 +0000

Liars love liars.

By: coldwarrior

coldwarrior — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 23:32:37 +0000

Had a brief conversation with my congressman this afternoon. We both were putting gas in our cars at the local station. A major frustration of his is the Dems controlling all the official agenda and parceling out info as they see fit…such as the Saturday news dumps or letting only a line or two out to the press when it suits them…and shutting out all GOP congress critters from any meaningful discussions. It is as if no one except those kow-towing to Pelosi and Reid exist.

2010 will be a watershed year for the off-elections. We conservatives simply must take back the House and Senate.

There is no other way to stop this Congress and this Administration completely re-structuring our government and society into a neo-facist or socialist state.

2010…will be here sooner than one can imagine.

Hold the line…as one of our HA contributors is fond of saying.

By: Lourdes

Lourdes — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 23:27:57 +0000

It is almost as if the congressional democrats and the current administration is engaging in something akin to insider trading. By demonizing certain industries they drop the values of those industries forcing investors to look elsewhere. I wonder where Soro’s is putting his money and who they will target next. fourdeucer on October 25, 2009 at 3:58
PM I hope your comment encourages BigGovernment or someone elso to go back over Soros and others’ stock purchases over the last 10 years+ and link them to comments/actions made by politicians he has supported and see what kind of pattern developes. journeyintothewhirlwind on October 25, 2009 at 4:49 PM
DITTO. Definitely, DITTO.