
"President Obama had few nice things to say about
insurance companies in his speech on health care last night, but leaders of two
of this region's largest private insurers -- Independence Blue Cross and Aetna
Inc. -- gave him generally high marks anyway," the Philadelphia Inquirer
reports. He did draw one line in the sand that insurers hoped for: a mandate
for all Americans to have health insurance. In exchange for such a mandate,
insurers have said they would agree to end the practice of excluding people
from coverage because of pre-existing conditions. One insurance executive said
he found the "call to action refreshing" and that "we're closer
to reform than we've ever been" (Burling, 9/10).
Insurance agents, on the other hand, aren't so
thrilled. "Local insurance agents believe health care reform won't be good
for their business, but they also seem certain that many families and
individuals would not like sweeping changes," the Modesto Bee reports.
"[B]rokers and agents who work with consumers every day [say they] believe
many people are satisfied with the health system" (Carlson, 9/10).
Source: Kaiser Health News
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