US Health Care Is Pretty Good … If You Own an Insurance Company - PNHP (2024)

Summary: Jon Stewart nails it in a vivid one-minute video: Our government-funded health care benefits private for-profit corporations, especially insurers, at our expense.

America’s F*cked Up Tax System, The Problem With Jon Stewart, August 29, 2023, Video (1 min)

Here’s how the system works. You pay taxes to the government, the government pools that money and uses it to provide the people with essential goods and services that they need.

In this country, we’ve got a different system for getting the things we need.

Take health care. We pay taxes to the government and the government gives our money to a middleman: for-profit insurance companies or for-profit health providers. And the insurance companies provide health coverage in exchange for maybe some more money for us and a deductible, that covers not everything certainly not your teeth or your skin or your eyes. It’s a pretty good systemifyou own an insurance company. Companies like UnitedHealth and Aetna collect 70% of their health plan revenue from government programs. Humana – 90%. These health plan businesses would not exist without our tax money. And it’s not just health care. It’s pharma. …

Comment:

By Jim Kahn, M.D., M.P.H.

What a pleasure to have this talented comedian-social commentator-activist on our side. Jon Stewart is a hero of mine.

The irresistible implication? We need single payer, government-financed andgovernment-paiduniversal health insurance. Without profit extraction by private sector intermediaries. It’s systematized grift, and we need to end it.

http://healthjusticemonitor.org…

Stay informed!Subscribeto the McCanne Health Justice Monitor to receive regular policy updates via email, and be sure to follow them on Twitter@HealthJustMon.

US Health Care Is Pretty Good … If You Own an Insurance Company - PNHP (2024)

FAQs

Who is the #1 provider of health insurance in the US? ›

Best health insurance companies of 2024

Kaiser Permanente: Best health insurance. Aetna: Best health insurance for young adults. Blue Cross Blue Shield: Best health insurance for the self-employed. UnitedHealthcare: Best health insurance provider network.

What is the most profitable health insurance company? ›

Largest health insurance companies in U.S. 2024, by revenue

In 2024, UnitedHealthcare Group was the largest health insurance company in the United States by revenue with over 189 billion U.S. dollars, followed by Elevance Health (Anthem) and Kaiser Permanente.

How good is USA Health Care? ›

Americans' Ratings of Healthcare Coverage

Shows 2022 results for how Americans rate both U.S. healthcare coverage and their own healthcare coverage. Overall, 32% give U.S. healthcare an excellent or good rating, while 66% are this positive about their own coverage.

How much of US healthcare is private? ›

In 2022, private health insurance coverage continued to be more prevalent than public coverage, at 65.6 percent and 36.1 percent, respectively.

Who is the number 1 healthcare company in USA? ›

Largest healthcare companies by market cap
#NameC.
1UnitedHealth 1UNH🇺🇸
2Elevance Health 2ELV🇺🇸
3Cigna 3CI🇺🇸
4HCA Healthcare 4HCA🇺🇸
57 more rows

Who is the richest insurance company? ›

By net premiums written
RankCompanyNet premiums written (US$ Billion)
1UnitedHealth Group201.5
2Ping An Insurance118.8
3China Life Insurance111.2
4Centene Corporation107.4
21 more rows

What is the most profitable healthcare business? ›

The most profitable healthcare business depends on various factors, such as market demand, location, and competition. However, industries like pharmaceuticals, medical technology, specialized clinics (e.g., cosmetic surgery), and telemedicine have shown significant profitability due to high demand and unique offerings.

What insurance company makes the most profit? ›

One initial insight from our visualization is how there are only 3 major insurance companies making more than $5B in total annual profit, including Berkshire Hathaway ($81.4B), MetLife ($5.9B) and State Farm ($5.6B).

Who profits the most in US healthcare? ›

The biggest, UnitedHealth Group, made $324bn in revenues last year, behind only Walmart, Amazon, Apple and ExxonMobil, and $25bn in pre-tax profit. Its 151m customers represent nearly half of all Americans.

What are the cons of US healthcare? ›

People in the United States have poorer health, more illness, and shorter lives than people in other wealthy countries. Americans pay too much for healthcare and lack adequate access to healthcare. This is called the U.S. health disadvantage.

Is US Health Care overpriced? ›

Unfortunately, there is no California exceptionalism in health care prices. California ranked as the 16th most expensive state in terms of average prices for select common health services in 2016 after accounting for wage differences, according to research by the UC Berkeley Petris Center.

Where is US healthcare ranked? ›

The United States ranks 11th in the 2022 World Index of Healthcare Innovation, down from 6th in 2021 and 4th in 2020.

What is the most popular health insurance company? ›

Market share in 2022
  • UnitedHealth Group (including UnitedHealthcare) 15.34%
  • Elevance Health Inc. ( formerly Anthem) 7.16%
  • Centene Corp. 6.68%
  • Kaiser Foundation (Kaiser Permanente) 6.18%
  • Humana. 6.03%
  • CVS Health (including Aetna Health) 5.82%
  • Health Care Services Corporation (HCSC) 3.53%
  • Cigna Health. 2.39%
Apr 19, 2024

Which country has the best healthcare in the world? ›

Singapore

Is U.S. health care Privatized? ›

In the US, ownership of the healthcare system is mainly in private hands, though federal, state, county, and city governments also own certain facilities.

Who is the largest healthcare provider in the US? ›

  • #1 CVS Health Corp. ( CVS)
  • #2 UnitedHealth Group Inc. ( UNH)
  • #3 McKesson Corp. ( MCK)
  • #4 AmerisourceBergen Corp. ( ABC)
  • #5 Cardinal Health Inc. ( CAH)
  • #6 Cigna Corp. ( CI)
  • #7 Elevance Health (ELV)
  • #8 Centene Corp. ( CNC)

Who is the largest provider of health insurance? ›

1. UnitedHealth Group. UnitedHealthcare, part of UnitedHealth Group, is the largest health insurance company based on revenue. UnitedHealthcare offers a variety of products from individual health insurance to employer plans for some of the biggest corporations.

What is the number one insurance company in the US? ›

With the largest market share of any car insurer in the U.S., State Farm makes up 16.8% of total auto policies sold.

What are the top 3 health insurances? ›

Best Health Insurance Companies for 2024
  • Best Overall: Blue Cross Blue Shield.
  • Highest Quality Plans: Kaiser Permanente.
  • Most Health Management Programs: Oscar.
  • Best for Same-Day Care: Aetna CVS Health.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Mrs. Angelic Larkin

Last Updated:

Views: 6053

Rating: 4.7 / 5 (47 voted)

Reviews: 94% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Mrs. Angelic Larkin

Birthday: 1992-06-28

Address: Apt. 413 8275 Mueller Overpass, South Magnolia, IA 99527-6023

Phone: +6824704719725

Job: District Real-Estate Facilitator

Hobby: Letterboxing, Vacation, Poi, Homebrewing, Mountain biking, Slacklining, Cabaret

Introduction: My name is Mrs. Angelic Larkin, I am a cute, charming, funny, determined, inexpensive, joyous, cheerful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.