Insurance Companies

Over the last few days, it has been interesting and almost comical to watch President Barack Obama handle the growing opposition regarding the decision of his administration to mandate coverage of contraceptives in the national health care reform benefit package. The president has "compromised" by saying that these insurance plans will no longer be required to cover contraceptives. However, the insurance companies will be required to provide these products to the benefit plan members at no charge (including co-pays or co-insurance)

Republicans in Congress are wasting time and energy in dismantling President Obama's accomplishments of the past two years. Instead of getting their hollow heads together and draft a plan to create more jobs, they are just trying to destroy what is already done. That's called "self-annihilation. " We, the American people, are watching. I'm a senior citizen. As such, I completely oppose the Republican efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act. The act provides seniors with the freedom to get the care we need, including preventive care, lower cost prescription drugs, and Medicare that we can count on. The act frees Americans from the fear of insurance companies raising premiums by double digits with no recourse or accountability.

In his recent op-ed, Professor James Burdick of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine writes that the Supreme Court's decision to uphold the ACA was a step toward universal care for all ("Universal care on the horizon," July 13). However, I find this assertion ironic because we are now further entrenched in a market system that does not embrace the idea of health care as a right. Dr. Burdick claims the inevitability of universal care, stating that partisan arguments will have to subside and that ultimately, the ACA reduces costs through cutting over-utilization.

Therese M. Goldsmith spent most of last week preparing to deal with Cyclone Sandy's second wave: thousands of Maryland residents who filed insurance claims and began working with contractors and mechanics to repair damage to their homes and cars. As the commissioner of the Maryland Insurance Administration, she's charged with regulating Maryland's insurance industry and making certain that insurance companies comply with Maryland insurance law. The MIA also handles complaints from consumers and helps them work through problems with their providers.

This week marks the third anniversary of the Affordable Care Act. For Marylanders, that means a health care system that is stronger than it was three years ago, and a future that looks even brighter. Marylanders who have health insurance now have more security, thanks to new insurance market reforms and consumer protections put into place by the law. Preventive services like mammograms and flu shots are newly available for free to 1.5 million people with private insurance plans. About 48,950 Maryland Medicare beneficiaries with the highest prescription drug costs have saved an average of $768 on their medications.

Due to incorrect information from the Maryland U.S. attorney's office, an earlier version of this story listed the wrong figure for the amount the officer was ordered to pay in restitution to insurance companies. An 11th Baltimore police officer was sentenced Wednesday to 42 months in federal prison for accepting illegal kickbacks from a car shop, the Maryland U.S. attorney's office announced. Rodney Cintron, 32, of Middle River, pleaded guilty to conspiracy and extortion in November, admitting that he referred car crash customers to Majestic Auto Repair in exchange for cash and that he falsified insurance claims to pay for repairs on his own car. He was ordered to pay $20,000 restitution to the city police department and more than  $420,000 $20,000 to four insurance companies.

The Sun's article on Catholic bishops' opposition to the Obama administration's requirement that religious schools and hospitals include contraceptives in their health insurance plans was one-sided and unfair ("Obama's 'accommodation' wins support in birth-control debate," Feb. 11). First, providing birth-control to people without proven medical conditions is a pure "give away" of precious medical funds. If this plan is reasonable, why not support "public/private safety" by providing everyone with cell phones?

Regarding Susan Reimer 's column on contraceptives and politics ("Women will remember in November," March 12), I'm sad to say but yes, women will remember. Even more sad is that the women have reacted to a disguised cause. Women's health is not the real issue here. Why did President Barack Obama choose to proclaim 100 percent coverage for just women's contraceptive? Why did he insist that the Catholic Church cover women's contraceptives in their affiliated institutions? Why not cover all women's medications at a rate of 100 percent?

Susan Reimer highlights several positive steps that insurance companies are taking (with a nudge from the federal government) to enhance the physical and emotional well-being of women in this country ("Big step forward for women's health," Aug. 15). Included among the preventative care measures is a mandate that counseling for domestic violence victims be provided without a co-pay or deductible. Yet while this provision is to be applauded, it does not ensure that similar services are available for male victims of domestic violence.

That's right, Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., blame the subprime crisis on poor people ("Did we learn from subprime crisis?" April 21). Government over-extension of housing funds to marginal buyers is only one small part of why the crisis occurred. Instead, let's put the blame where it really lies. That would be in the repeal of Glass-Stegall which enabled banks and insurance companies to become gambling establishments, the fraudulent and illegal bundling of good loans with bad while rating these packages triple-A, the teaming of Wall Street and insurance companies which encouraged credit buying and subprime loans, the ignorance and collusion of ratings agencies, and finally the intentional laissez-faire "putting the foxes in charge of the hen house" attitude of the Securities and Exchange Commission.