Comment by jgeada
6 hours ago
If you have a fixed profit margin, the way to make more absolute money is to allow your costs to increase. Insurance companies have zero reason to negotiate prices down.
6 hours ago
If you have a fixed profit margin, the way to make more absolute money is to allow your costs to increase. Insurance companies have zero reason to negotiate prices down.
Well not quite. Health insurance is still a competitive business. Customers — both individuals and group buyers — are very price sensitive and while switching plans is a hassle they will change from Aetna to Humana or whatever if the difference is large enough. And many of the largest carriers are non-profit corporations so there's literally no "profit", although some of the employees are very well compensated.
All the highest compensated non executive level employees I know are doctors, who would be highly compensated at every business. Same for all the executives, whose pay does not seem outsize compared to executives at other similar sized organizations. If anything, health insurance companies are known to be pretty stingy with pay unless you're in high demand, e.g. doctors.