Here’s a dart to deflate the feel-good dreams of universal health care — those nefarious, profiteering insurance companies are actually hoping it passes.

The Los Angeles Times reports insurance companies are rooting several of the many health care industry overhaul plans floating around Capitol Hill, hoping for subsidies that pay them to reach more customers, offering lousy, cheap plans that cover you about as well as hospital gowns, driving up profit margins.

The Left Coast Times writes:

“It’s a bonanza,” said Robert Laszewski, a health insurance executive for 20 years who now tracks reform legislation as president of the consulting firm Health Policy and Strategy Associates Inc.

Some insurance company leaders continue to profess concern about the unpredictable course of President Obama’s massive healthcare initiative, and they vigorously oppose elements of his agenda. But Laszewski said the industry’s reaction to early negotiations boiled down to a single word: “Hallelujah!”

Healthcare insurers get upper hand [Los Angeles Times]
(Photo: Maulleigh, copyright Artists Rights Society)
(Thanks, Phil!)

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