Insurance Companies are the DEVIL

[aens_wife]

What the fuck do you pay insurance companies for if they won't cover all the fucking damage from a storm. And with a 1k deductible, most folks don't claim anything!

I hate them and I hate that I have to pay them every fucking month.

//The end.

[devnulljp]

And with a 1k deductible, most folks don't claim anything!

I think you just figured out their business model.

[snipelfritz]

And with a 1k deductible, most folks don't claim anything!

I think you just figured out their business model.

My Impromptu Essay on Insurance Companies

Preface: I don't believe in evil. I don't believe there is one sinister corporate/religious/fascist/power-hungry/Illuminati-esque group controlling things and deliberately establishing massive institutions and social systems for purely insidious purposes. The world is just far too large and complex for that to happen.

Counter-preface: These sorts of insidious institutions may exist, but only from isolated origin and time rather than deliberate design.

Thesis: There is no devil, but Insurance Companies are about as damn close as you can get. I highlighted dev's statement because that's what it comes down to: their business model. Look at it logically...

A company is driven to make the largest net profit possible
To make a net profit, a company must make a profit.
To make a profit, the company must have a source of income.
To receive income, the company must provide some sort of good/service (what we'll call "product") in return.
To provide a product, the company must make expenditures.
To make a net profit, the profit must be greater than the expenditures
The greater your income is than your expenditures, the larger your net profit

Basic economics, right? (rhetorical question #1, also note: I've never take an economics course in my life) Well what happens when the product is something that the company may choose to or choose not to provide to the already paying customer? The company will opt not to provide whenever possible in order to avoid expenditures.

So to make a couple leaps in logic, the best insurance company will be the one who can attract the most customers, but provide the least product. Also noting: attracting customers is hella expensive (advertising, etc.), so when performed effectively, the more a company invests in attracting customers they will be motivated to provide less service despite increasing income.

A couple more leaps later we reach our conclusion: The insurance company business model, while undeniably helpful to its customers in many instances, has been established, over time, in a way that strays from providing greater customer service towards simply capturing the greatest market share.

Note: This only is a discussion the business side of insurance companies. The actual realities of risk-averse nature and benefits of having insurance are not being taken into consideration. My editorial note would have to be that I wish we had a better business model for providing a similar service.

I will be expecting my Nobel Prize in the mail, thank you.

[Achtane]

[CBA]

Is that from Tarkovsky's "Stalker"?



C

[Jwar]

Who do you use? I use Travelers for my home and car insurance and they are fucking great! I moved into a new house last year and a month or two later we had a huge hail storm that trashed my roof, some of the siding and storm windows. Travelers came out and cut me a check for 12k on the fucking spot. I got a new roof that will last me the rest of my life!

I got in a car accident and it was obviously the other persons fault. Her insurance company didn't want to pay at all and denied my claim. I ended up paying a 500 buck deductible and my insurance company fixed my car. Not only that but they took on her insurance company and got my money back!

Now if we're talking Health Insurance companies...fuck those motherfuckers. I HATE the medical insurance world. All they do is bend you over backwards and fuck you up the ass every month. United Healthcare is one of the biggest and worst fucking insurance companies out there. I hope they all burn in hell!

[theavondon]

True story: I went to the ER after a show because I beat my hand so hard on my bass I couldn't move it at all. They took an x-ray, gave me two hydrocodones, and told me my hand was just bruised, and handed me a prescription for more pain medicine. I have insurance, so nothing to worry about, right?

Wrong. That trip cost me $590.

Here's some perspective for you:

I'm not that well off. I'm a college student. My rent is $327.50 every month. About $40 for the bills too. And I probably spend about ~$150 on food and junk (you know, random crap) every month. So, boom, more than an entire month's worth of money for three hours in an ER.

[bigchiefbc]

Who do you use? I use Travelers for my home and car insurance and they are fucking great! I moved into a new house last year and a month or two later we had a huge hail storm that trashed my roof, some of the siding and storm windows. Travelers came out and cut me a check for 12k on the fucking spot. I got a new roof that will last me the rest of my life!

I got in a car accident and it was obviously the other persons fault. Her insurance company didn't want to pay at all and denied my claim. I ended up paying a 500 buck deductible and my insurance company fixed my car. Not only that but they took on her insurance company and got my money back!

Now if we're talking Health Insurance companies...fuck those motherfuckers. I HATE the medical insurance world. All they do is bend you over backwards and fuck you up the ass every month. United Healthcare is one of the biggest and worst fucking insurance companies out there. I hope they all burn in hell!

My experience mirror's jwar. My homeowner's insurance and car insurance is through the same company (USAA) and they've always been fucking awesome, they just give me checks, no questions asked. Health insurance, no matter which company it is, denies every fucking claim possible, and lets doctors offices and hospitals rape me with impunity. I've come to realize that health insurance is completely and totally worthless in the US. They pay for absolutely fucking nothing, but they're happy to collect their 150 bucks every other week. Fucking parasites.

[devnulljp]

Yes, but universal healthcare is OMGSOCIALISMNAZIDEATHPANELS!!!!!!!!!!!!
</snark>

I can't complain. My insurance company paid the full price of a new Klein bike when the shipping company broke the gear shifter; replaced and upgraded my floor when we had a flood; replaced and upgraded our gutters when the snow ripped them off; replaced my laptop when I dumped a mug of coffee into it. And when I go to the hospital or the doctor, I don't get a bill (I pay $200 a quarter into the provincial medical insurance for a family of three).
Canada is great.

[phantasmagorovich]

Yes, but universal healthcare is OMGSOCIALISMNAZIDEATHPANELS!!!!!!!!!!!!
</snark>

I can't complain. My insurance company paid the full price of a new Klein bike when the shipping company broke the gear shifter; replaced and upgraded my floor when we had a flood; replaced and upgraded our gutters when the snow ripped them off; replaced my laptop when I dumped a mug of coffee into it. And when I go to the hospital or the doctor, I don't get a bill (I pay $200 a quarter into the provincial medical insurance for a family of three).
Canada is great.

Shit that is cheap! I pay much more just for myself.

Thing is that only works with universal healthcare being universal. There needs to be a certain regulation of that market for it to work properly. For instance over here we have health insurance for everybody. It is not mandatory but everyone has it anyways, because it's so much better this way than breaking a leg and having to pay horrendous sums for medical care (that shit is mad expensive!). So the market is saturated, and the prices are regulated (yup, socialism, if you will) by the state. There are many and most are private, you can change if you want and pay no more. That results in only one way for insurance companies to attract customers: service.
There is certain stuff that apparently none of the companies will pay for (emergency transport f.ex., no idea why) but some will for example pay for psychoanalysis without problem, some will haggle. Others might specialize in homeopathic stuff and you will get akkupuncture paid without problem and so on. So, on the fringes there are differences, but basic health care is always covered.
Now, they usually don't care much for long-term solutions, if there is something cheaper and readily available that will solve the problem for the moment. They usually rather pay glasses than eye surgery etc. This doesn't make much sense to me, but they always calculate on the short term.

/universal healthcare

[D.o.S.]

The problem for the united states is that the emphasis is on health insurance, rather than health care,

As far as other forms of insurance, the notion behind the idea is pretty hilarious.

"I'll bet you X dollars a month you don't need me to pay for something bad."
"Fuck you, you're on!"

[tuffteef]

True story: I went to the ER after a show because I beat my hand so hard on my bass I couldn't move it at all. They took an x-ray, gave me two hydrocodones, and told me my hand was just bruised, and handed me a prescription for more pain medicine. I have insurance, so nothing to worry about, right?

Wrong. That trip cost me $590.

Here's some perspective for you:

I'm not that well off. I'm a college student. My rent is $327.50 every month. About $40 for the bills too. And I probably spend about ~$150 on food and junk (you know, random crap) every month. So, boom, more than an entire month's worth of money for three hours in an ER.

i just got sent a letter today from the ambulance services saying please pay us $354.00 for some asshole who tried to rob me and assaulted me in the process like 7 weeks ago and all i got was a ride to the hospital and an ice pack


terrible man total bs

[Achtane]

Is that from Tarkovsky's "Stalker"?

Yep!

[Jwar]

Yes, but universal healthcare is OMGSOCIALISMNAZIDEATHPANELS!!!!!!!!!!!!
</snark>

I can't complain. My insurance company paid the full price of a new Klein bike when the shipping company broke the gear shifter; replaced and upgraded my floor when we had a flood; replaced and upgraded our gutters when the snow ripped them off; replaced my laptop when I dumped a mug of coffee into it. And when I go to the hospital or the doctor, I don't get a bill (I pay $200 a quarter into the provincial medical insurance for a family of three).
Canada is great.

Yea but...fuck you. lol

Damn man. 200 a quarter. That's really cheap. I pay 200 a paycheck for my family and I thought that was cheap.

[Choo]

Why do you say that? Do you know that insurance companies help people a lot in securing and protecting their life, health and properties?

Try to read this one: http://www.quotes-center.com/what-is-insurance/