:Written by one of the Bookworm Patriots:
During the healthcare debate last year, President Obama told the American public they would be able to keep their current healthcare plan if they wanted. The opposition was quick to point out that insurance companies would be forced to increase premiums because they would lose customers to the Federal government's plan. This would "nudge" people to the new plan.
Once the new healthcare bill was passed, some of the 39 separate companies that make up the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association increased their premiums. The BCBSA insures over 100 million Americans and employs about 1,000 people. Most of the 100 million individuals are employed by companies who use BCBS to insure their employees. But because this economic climate is rocky for many companies, their costs must be as low as possible. When BCBS increased their premiums, some companies left BCBS or opted to provide a plan to their own employees that was affordable (but with higher out-of-pocket costs to their insured employees).
This is how the Feds nudge you in the direction they want you to go.
Last week was open enrollment for many companies who provide healthcare to their employees. At the last minute, my wife discovered that her employer opted for a plan that would provide fewer benefits to her and her coworkers because premiums had been increased. Fortunately, we were able to put her on my plan. If I was still unemployed (as I had been not long ago), we would have been at the mercy of her employer and upcoming universal healthcare plan (since we are expecting a baby). For now, we were able to resist the feds attempt to nudge us off of our private healthcare.
Thousands of other Americans have not been so fortunate. The unemployed, the underemployed, if anyone has a chronic condition that requires insurance to avoid a life of debt - you know that if you lose a certain level of medical coverage, you'll be forced onto the government dole.
Look at the policies that the Obama administration has promoted and the potential to "nudge" you into a certain behavior.
