I think lost in much of the hullabaloo surrounding the debate over reform is this, and someone must have said it and I missed it.
Insurance profits have increased 1000% over the past 5 years. That's not hyperbole - it's what a business is supposed to do. But add this: premiums on middle class have gone up over 300%. Add in this accepted economic data: labors' productivity has improved markedly, and corporate profits have also gone up. Now - profits have gone up more than the rate of wages.
Corporations are ripping of their workers?? No - far from it. As health insurance premiums have gone up at a much higher rate, that means the part that employers are mandated to contribute have gone up too. So much so that when it comes time for the ol' annual raise your boss is giving you less than you think you deserve. Sucks don't it?
Well think of this; if employers didn't have to kick in more for insurance each year, they'd logically have more to give to you all in the form of a cash wage wouldn't they? They likely would too, because business people know that labor as the most expensive cost of production, is also the most important, and the cost of hiring someone is higher that the cost of retaining quality. That's the fact of the marketplace. Keep your talent.
Point of interest. Toyota opted to build a new plant in Canada recently. Canada was chosen over Alabama. (non-union state BTW) The reason. The labor cost was higher in a non-union state in the USA because of how much Toyota would have to pay in health insurance as opposed to no health insurance costs in Canada.
This is the reality. It's not "death panels" These are the facts we need to concern ourselves with in this debate.
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