the carriers mighta had a hand in the law, but not more than the gov. carriers wanted it cus the way it was sold to them was "everybody" is going to have to get insurance. the carriers in your state can only sell to state residents. and you can only buy from carriers in your state. so there was hella money involved. the single thing that is crumbling them and changed the industry (compare it to napster, or cheap home computer based recording) is pre existing conditions. as an insurer, your not going to cover a totalled vehicle. your not going to cover a burned down house. your not going to cover a models broken leg. thats not how insurance work. free healthcare was always out there, on the government. it's only fucked the way it is/was cus the government runs it. when you bought insurance coverage on your health (not life), in general it's a relatively better experiece cus its a private company who runs it and they really want to keep your business.
I don't necessariy disagree with you on your points, I think they have some validity. Years ago I worked in insurance, both L&H and P&C, with appointments in more than 40 states. However, the way the pre-existing condition exclusion situation worked in the past was if you were layed off from a job and could not afford COBRA, and say a year later you found a new job with medical benefits, if you had any pre-existing conditions, the insurer would not have to provide coverage for you regarding those pre-existing conditions due to your lapse in coverage during an exclusionary period. For many, that was playing with their lives- mind you corporations playing with their lives.
The Affordable Care Act was the Obama administration in collaboration with all the major players in the health care industry, the drug and insurance companies, the major hospital chains, and lobbyists representing the largest employers in the country.
Blue Cross Blue Shield: Insurer in all 50 States; in 2008 before the ACA, their revenue was >$320 million with 100 million insured. Insurance costs have risen every single year since then.
Because all of the BCBS insurers are organized separately by state, a lot of digging is required, but revenue in 2013 for Michigan alone was $21.3 BILLION (just BCBS of MICHIGAN).
Do you think it will grow with the additional citizens who sign up or decline?
From $320 MILLION collectively to BILLIONS FOR EACH of THE 37-40 organized plans individually?
Aetna: Not yet in all 50 States (with the exception of Medicare) had revenue in 2013 of $47.2 BILLION, with more than 22 million medical members, 14.3 million dental members, 13.8 million pharmacy members, 13.6 million group insurance members.
Add all of the (not just the one's I've listed) corporations' revenues and we are talking big money, as in the big money that IS our government.
