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Sure, health insurers want to mandate that everyone has to buy health insurance. I'm sure makers of pipe cleaners want it mandated that anyone with pipes must buy pipe cleaners, too.

What the health insurance industry doesn't want is real competition--particularly government-run competition.

By my lights, the rate hikes by carriers over recent years look mighty suspicious. Each company almost always raises its premiums by the same amount that competitors are raising their rates.

Coincidence? Maybe. But a government-run competitor would gives us a clear idea of whether these private carriers are ripping off their customers.

I think you're right that some real competition will no doubt impact premiums. With more competition, people will realize that they are paying too much money for health care that often leaves much to be desired. What's a big piece of this debate is that people don't feel like they're getting their money's worth. Maybe if we were getting a good return on our dollar our knickers wouldn't be in a twist.

RedConn writes:
By my lights, the rate hikes by carriers over recent years look mighty suspicious. Each company almost always raises its premiums by the same amount that competitors are raising their rates.

Coincidence? Maybe. But a government-run competitor would gives us a clear idea of whether these private carriers are ripping off their customers.

As usual, RedConn, you make a great point. It is really suspicious, isn't it? If it's not a coincidence, even more reason for insurance companies to be doing everything they can to squash a government-run plan.

At least there's a little bit of good news on the health care front. According to Hewitt Associates, despite economic instability and increased employer pressure to cut costs, health care rate increases are projected to remain stable for the third consecutive year. In 2009, average health care premiums increased 6 percent, consistent with 2008. Hewitt also projects a 6 percent average premium increase for employers in 2010.

According to Hewitt, the average total health care premium per employee for large companies will increase from $8,607 in 2009 to $9,120 in 2010.

However, the amount employees will be asked to contribute toward this cost is $2,085 or 23 percent of the total health care. Average employee out-of-pocket costs, such as copayments and deductibles are expected to increase to $1,938 in 2010, also up 10 percent from $1,766 in 2009.

Only in the world of health care is a 6 percent annual cost increase seen as reason for celebration. The inflation rate for 2009 is going to be what? Probably a negative number. So most everything else stays at the same price, but health-care costs continue to go up.

Swell. From what I can see, the rise in the cost of medical care and health-care insurance almost always floats well above the CPI. In fact, take the CPI, add 600 basis points, and you've got the medical inflation rate.

Hey, it's a nice business to be in. Outside of commodities, not many industries can carry off such insane annual price hikes. I can only think of one: higher education.

Any others I'm missing?

cable tv? or has FiOs finally made them less greedy?