Another one bites the dust. MPR’s Mark Zdechlik reports: “Minnesota’s largest health insurer, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota has decided to stop selling health plans to individuals and families in Minnesota starting next year. The insurer explained extraordinary financial losses drove the decision. … ‘Based on current medical claim trends, Blue Cross is projecting a total loss of more than $500 million in the individual [health plan] segment over three years,’ BCBSM said in a statement.”
Hard to guess what Allina was hoping for here. City Pages Cory Zurowski has a story about Education Minnesota: “The teachers union asked those of their members who are in town for summer break to join nurses’ picket lines. Education Minnesota flooded its Facebook and Twitter pages with bright protest photos accompanied with statements like ‘Educators will be there to stand up against Allina,’ and ‘Educators Support Nurses.’ … This was a problem for Allina. The hospital system tapped attorney Grant T. Collins of Felhaber Larson to write the teachers union a cease and desist letter on Tuesday.”
We’re used to our Minnesota senators getting along, but MPR’s Bob Collins points out a big point of difference between Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken: “If you ever wanted to assess the difference between DFL senators Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken, this week’s vote to allow authorities to access phone logs, email records, cell-site data used to pinpoint locations, and your browser’s history without a warrant is a good place to start. … Franken is a fan of privacy and warrants. Klobuchar, not so much.”
Day brightener! MPR’s Riham Feshir reports: “This summer, 11- year-old Ben Anco gets to do something he’s never done before: He gets to go to the playground. No wood chips, steps or rocks to hold him back. … You see, Ben is in a wheelchair. And until now, that kept him from enjoying a typical childhood outside. So as soon as the largest fully accessible playground in the Twin Cities opened, he couldn’t wait.”
In other news…
Great, now what do you build there? “Redevelopment of Former St. Paul Ford Plant Site Can Proceed” [KSTP]
First Brexit, now this: “Spam cocktails are the trendy new thing at London restaurants” [Star Tribune]
War on bingo: “How the Vikings stadium tax bankrupted a St. Cloud bingo charity” [City Pages]
Well, someone’s gotta pay: “GiveMN.org raises fees and asks donors to cover it” [Pioneer Press]
Insurance companies’ profitability and ethics
The fact that insurance companies are finding they can no longer make the kind of profit margin they have become accustomed to now that they are being required to cover customers fairly says more to me about the questionable ethics of the previous business model than anything else.
If you can’t make enough money taking care of people the way they ought to be taken care of, then maybe you’ve been making too much money off their misfortune all along.
Losses
‘Extraordinary financial losses of $500M’ is not the same as less profit margin than before.
unreal
they are losing $500 million, that means the claims are 500 mill more than premium, what do you suggest they do to fix that? Any concrete factual and reasoned ideas you have?