NPR Interviews Ron Paul: Leave Government Out Of Insurance Plan

September 20, 2009

Q: If it was left to market devices, how do you envision that working to help insure all Americans?

A: Well, about opposite of what we should expect when we go to total government. And we have a pretty good record of showing what we did in this country up until the 1960s. I recall working in a church hospital for $3 an hour and nobody was ever turned away and nobody was left out in the streets. And just think of all the church hospitals that have been closed down because the invasion of government into the health care industry.

Q: But who would pay for them?

Well, who pays for the Shriner hospitals? Charity takes care of it, the churches take care of it. When government takes care of it, the bureaucrats get paid. And insurance companies become the lobbyists, the drug companies become the lobbyists, the management companies become the lobbyists, doctors get squeezed, the patients get squeezed. You can't put all these corporations in between the doctors and the patients. You have a form of corporatism, which motivates the type of system that we have now, and it's not any better. Some worry that Obama would give us socialized medicine, but he isn't. He's giving us a continuation of corporatism. He's forcing people to buy insurance. The insurance companies love it! They love to see 20 or 30 million more people being forced into the system, and they will have more customers. Full Interview

My Note: If we really want insurance Reform, then we need to start telling Washington DC to break up the MONOPOLY within the insurance industry that most people aren't aware of. Lets start with the British American Tobacco (BAT):

In 1949 BAT suffered a serious setback when the Communist Revolution closed China to the company, which lost a quarter of its sales as a result. The company began to diversify in the 1960s and acquired a variety of other businesses, notably the Yardley perfume company. BAT's first foray into motor racing sponsorship was with Yardley in 1970 with the BRM team. The company continued in F1 until the end of 1974.

By then BAT had acquired more retail companies, notably Saks in 1973. In 1976 the company changed its name to BAT Industries and after acquiring further retailers, such as Argos and Marshall Field, began to move into the insurance business with the purchase of Eagle Star, Allied Dunbar and the Farmers Group in the course of the 1980s.

ZURICH AND B.A.T INDUSTRIES' FINANCIAL SERVICES INTERESTS TO MERGE CREATING ZURICH FINANCIAL SERVICES GROUP

British American Tobacco plc (British American Tobacco) will become a separately listed company.

The businesses of Zurich and BAFS will be transferred to a new Swiss company headquartered in Zurich called Zurich Financial Services Group (ZF Group). The new financial services group will be owned through a dual holding structure. Zurich shareholders will own shares in Zurich Allied AG, which will own 55 per cent of ZF Group. Current shareholdings in B.A.T Industries will be replaced by shareholdings in two new companies: Allied Zurich plc, which will own 45 per cent of ZF Group; and British American Tobacco.

Commenting on the proposal today, Lord Cairns, Chairman of B.A.T Industries, said:

"We are confident that the business fit between BAFS and Zurich will create an outstanding worldwide business positioned for rapid growth and that, as a leading international tobacco company, a focused British American Tobacco will continue to make good progress.

"We believe that there will be improved prospects for capital and income growth as a result of the separate ownership of these two world class businesses, although there will be some initial reduction in the dividend payout for B.A.T Industries' shareholders."

Rolf Huppi, Chairman and CEO of Zurich Group, said:

"The businesses to be combined are high quality, have significant prospects for growth and are highly complementary. The future position of Zurich Financial Services Group in key segments of personal, commercial and corporate risk and investment management, and its high quality brand portfolio will enable the group to deliver consistent earnings growth, building upon Zurich's financial strength and market strategies and BAFS' strong market positions in the US and the UK."

In connection with the proposed merger, B.A.T Industries has been advised by Lazard Brothers and Co., Limited and Goldman Sachs International. Zurich has been advised by Morgan Stanley and Co. Limited.

Are you starting to get the picture here?

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS; Financial Unit Spun Off, British American Tobacco Rises 38%
The New York Times, Monday, September 9, 1998

Under the deal with the Zurich Group, investors in B.A.T. Industries split their old stock equally between British American Tobacco P.L.C. and Allied Zurich.

B.A.T. Industries went ahead with its asset sale including the insurers Allied Dunbar and Eagle Star after a British High Court judge rejected efforts by 48 Blue Cross and Blue Shield health plans in the United States last week to block the $18.7 billion deal with the Zurich Group

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zurich_Financial_Services#Criticism

Zurich Financial Services settled a bid-rigging and improper "finite reinsurance" transactions probe.[8] Zurich Financial agreed to pay $153 million in restitution and penalties and agreed to a series of reforms. Zurich apologized and acknowledged that "certain of its employees violated both acceptable business practices and Zurich's own standards of conduct by engaging in improper bidding practices and the ‘finite reinsurance’ transactions described in the Assurance of Discontinuance." The states included in the settlement were New York, Connecticut and Illinois.

In May 2007, Zurich Capital Markets, a subsidiary of Zurich Financial Services, paid $16.8 million to settle with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission for helping four hedge funds disguise their identities to avoid detection when making frequent trades in mutual fund shares.[9] An SEC director stated, “By knowingly financing their hedge funds clients' deceptive market timing, ZCM reaped substantial fees at the expense of long-term mutual-fund shareholders" [10]

When you start to understand that the Insurance Industry is all owned by a small hand full as well as other commercial and retail, and the major share holders are foreign, Not American, you understand the big push to NATIONALIZE HEALTH CARE.

Break up the Monopolies and make these companies market to the individual instead of through the employer. You will see prices come down, and better quality health care benefits.

The same needs to be done with Drug companies.