[Tusanoc]

LA Times:
http://www.latimes.com/health/la-fi-....column?page=1

Three of the biggest names in the insurance game reported rock-solid profits last week. Aetna said its third-quarter net income jumped 53% over the same period last year, to $497.6 million. WellPoint, parent of Anthem Blue Cross in California, said its profit rose 1.2% to $739.1 million. Health Net posted a net income of $62.7 million, compared with a loss of $66 million a year earlier.

Aetna CEO Ronald Williams cited "a reduction in utilization of healthcare services after the surge we saw in 2009, combined with appropriate pricing and effective medical quality and cost management."

That "reduction in utilization of healthcare services" basically means fewer people went to the doctor. Did we all suddenly become healthier? Not likely.

Jamie Court, president of Consumer Watchdog, a Santa Monica advocacy group, said Americans are skipping doctor visits because they've switched to plans with higher deductibles or their employers have jacked up co-pays.

...

According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, workers now pay 47% more for family health coverage they receive through their jobs than they did five years ago, while wages have gone up only 18%.

And what about "effective medical quality and cost management"?

Court at Consumer Watchdog said this is just another way of saying that insurers are denying more claims. "It's code for some bureaucrat somewhere telling people that a treatment isn't necessary," he said.