Biggest carriers

January 29, 2013 -- Who are the biggest health insurance carriers in California? According to today's Los Angeles Times, this $59-billion market is shared as follows:

40%Kaiser
23%Anthem Blue Cross
14%Blue Shield of California
9%Health Net
5%UnitedHealth Group

Nationwide, WellPoint is on top with 14%, UnitedHealth is second with 12%, and Kaiser is third with 10%.

How do we feel about this? As the market consolidates, we approach single-payer, which is devoutly to be wished. Also good is that some of these are non-profits; provision of health care must not be secondary to the demands of stockholders. However, without public oversight and transparency, their motivations and incentives remain murky.

Concentration of power and whopping payouts to executives of corporations -- for-profit or not -- have no place in a fair and rational health care system. Only when the system is run by publicly-selected (elected?) officials, subject to the scrutiny of we the people, and driven by no motives other than what's best for us insured, will this crazed and bloated healthcare "system" acquire a semblance of sanity and justice. We have a long way to go!

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