Hospitals and Economic Health

We own a small business here in NH and are faced with having to stop helping our employees with health care because for the second year in a row our premiums have risen by 40%. There is no competition in this state. We had no claims and still they are charging us 40% more, why because they can, that is what we were told by the insurance company.
We may have to stop giving this benefit to our employees (and ourselves) adding to the list of uninsured people in this country.
Why aren't people talking more about the fact that insurance companies are traded on Wall Street and need to make money for investors. Doesn't that say - conflict of interest to anyone.
Something has to be done about this. Gloria Hoag

Hospital administrators salary is out of control. To say it is compared to the private sector is not a good answer. What private sector. The 20% who owns 80% of the wealth.

hi
I work in the health care field.
I believe that it will be hard to see the hospitals part in this fiscal nightmare until the insurance companies are brought under some type of control.Lets suppose that our agency charges fairly for our services, for simplicities sake lets say 100.00; you pay your copay $20.00 and we bill the rest to your insurance. They say "usual and customary" fee for our service is $80.00 - $20.00(copay)leaving 60.00 which they will pay 30% of. We in turn have to raise our fee to a point where the 60% + copay will at least get us to a break even point. The hospitals are in the same dilemma.
The only clear picture here is who is making alot of money and playing a major part in our countries financial fiasco, the insurance companies. Notice how quiet they are to the public, only their lobbyists are making any noise (behind closed doors).
At this point in time, Medicaid and Medicare is the only method of controlling any costs which in turn hurts our most vulnerable, the people who serve them and the taxpayers.
I will vote for any and all regulations against the insurance companies. They voice no responsibility and have not made any changes. My insurance went up again this year and without any pay increases, I now make less.
So go easy on the hospitals and physicians, at least until the picture is made more clear.
Thanks

Based upon the more than slightly self congratulatory statements made on this AM's show, by the hospital Administrators, I was not sure whether to believe that hospital Administrators, who now draw average salaries that are higher than the proverbial brain surgeon gets can be trusted with the tasks they have been passively assigned by the public.
Rochester CEO Al Felgar gets over $400,000. Dover's Wentworth Douglas hospital CEO Greg Walker, has taken millions of dollars in salary and percs the last few years.
Both Hospitals will tell you, if you call up and claim to be a Medicaid patient, that you cannot be seen for months in the outpatient department, (fee $45)so you should come to the Urgent Care or Emergency Department ( fee $200 plus to over $1000)
There is a multi million dollar building spree ongoing at both hospitals, and both are expanding into the territory of other hospitals, competing openly and with a huge tax subsidy. (They pay no real Estate taxes on any if these clinics, but pass the losses back to the local taxpayers. All of this explosive building spree is financed with either funny money, or with the extraordinary (non) profits they have snatched from the healthcare budget, and from the previous "Surplus" at the NH Medicaid fund, which used to have extra money to spend elsewhere in the State, before these guys worked out how to rob the fund of its surplus.
This is not an accident. These guys have shared information on how to take over a previously non profit entity and get themselves hugely well paid, as they destroy the formerly allcomers charitable entity that once actually was a community asset and actually lost money as it did good deeds
They have built private rooms, ( $3000 plus per night) only, to replace the inexpensive 2 bed or 4 bed wards that once were common in community hospitals $750-1000 per night).
The doctors all signed the Oath of Hippocrates and have 14 years minimum of post High School education.
The CEOs all signed the oath of Mammon, if any oath at all, and have BA or MA in Business Administration.
Most of the CEO diplomas I have seen are not from any school you would try to send your ultrabright child to
All the doctors are now employees , and dare say very little. The doctors all go home at 5.
Helluva deal you gotta agree.
Terry Bennett MD MPH