NC chipping away at the cost of health insurance

How do you reduce the cost of health insurance provided to retired state employees without saying you're old and therefore we don't want to cover you? You change the insurance plan offered to retirees to a single option, a Blue Cross/ Blue Shield PPO that will save the state loads of money based on the fact that there are no negotiated reimbursement rates to providers and therefore, providers are reimbursed at a lower rate with the balance being covered by those pesky old folks. http://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/stories/2008/03/03/story11.html?b=1204520400^1598331
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Think of the implications for the promises of offerings of universal health care that mirror the federal employees health care plan. Just change the plan offered to federal employees to one that we common folk have been living and dying with. And therein lies the rub. The focus on perpetuating health insurers making money and physicians making money at the same level they were making money before consumers stopped being able to afford the system is a sign that the bully pulpit will not react until consumers revolt. Revolt more effectively than dying prematurely and paying increased premiums for less coverage while waving their magic wand and hoping they'll never need health care.

The most significant feature is the fact that the health care industry has adopted the failed campaign of the army...an army of one. That marketing fiasco soon found that enlisters didn't want to feel alone, they wanted to feel the comraderie of their fellow soldiers. We could learn a thing from the army of one approach to health care. Every man for himself, sure, some will be fine, specifically, the young and healthy, but eventually young is not young and healthy is not healthy, and we will have eagerly given up our strength in numbers, the only power we have as consumers of health care.