Blue Crossco

I have come to the conclusion that health insurance is like Costco or Sam's Club. You pay for a membership and some products from some suppliers are discounted, each to a varying degree. There are some specials, some things are quite inexpensive. Some products are not available. If you beg, perhaps they can get special order something for you, but that would be quite the exception.

It is not like they really care. It is not like it is about health. It is about products and services that can be bought at a discount with some of the savings being passed on to you and the rest being pocketed as profits.

The difference between health insurance and Costco/Sam's is that the membership fees are much higher and the copays are much lower for what is in the store. However, what is not in the store is just about as expensive as if you did not belong.

Costco and Sam's compete against full retail and limited discounters (such as Walmart and Best Buy). Blue Crossco and UPMCco just compete against each other, so there is no strong market forces in play.