Insurance Companies

Insurance companies are some of the richest corporations in America. . . not as rich as the oil companies, but close.
See, they operate on a model that always guarantees them positive cash flow. If payouts begin to rise, they simply raise rates. They can also put a harder press on their clients. My health insurance company regularly denies coverage of a medical expense that I know damned well is covered in my policy. When that happens I have to get on the pbone argue with some corporate lackey for five minutes, get transfered to a "supervisor" who then says "oh my, I wonder why they didn't pay that! I will make sure your provider is payed ASAP. Thanks you for calling Mr. Hillbilly"
You gotta wonder how many people just go ahead and pay the bill without arguing. How many millions of dollars does that translate into for the insurance company?
That's just one tactic they use to fuck their customers.
But lets really take a look at who they're insuring. When you think about it, insurance companies only insure low risk healthy people. They insure folks who work and have jobs that pay enough that they can afford health insurance. In other words, the most healthy people in America. They don't insure the elderly population, the federal gov't cover all of them. They don't insure the disabled, the federal gov't covers them too. Unemployed, those on SSI? Yup, federal gov't's got them covered. People with "pre-existing conditions? Insurance companies won't touch them. High risk occupations. . . you pay high risk premiums.
So WTF is with the insurance companies? They get the cream of the crop and we the tax payers cover everyone else while the insurance companies suck us dry for our own insurance premiums.
Think about that and then the next time you hear some slack jawed, ignorant right wing brainless moron begin to defend insurance companies and make it sound like they are American heroic institutions, point out to them some of these facts.