RENO — A small crowd chanting “Patients, not profits!” and other slogans faced a locked door at the Reno office of United Healthcare on Thursday. Refusing to confront the crowd, United’s office staff silently waited inside as the protesters taped crime scene tape across their door.

The brief stand-off was loud but peaceful. After a few minutes with no response, the group gave up and retreated to the street where they found a slightly better reception. A few drivers honked their approval of the protest.

Vince Agamenone, who drove from Mound House to participate in the “People Over Profits” rally, was one of the most vocal protesters.

“I’m a capitalist. I believe in profits but not on the backs of sick people,” Agamenone said.

“We won’t tread on your back if you won’t tread on ours,” another protester yelled.

Members of Standing Together for Healthcare Reform, including local activist Lisa Stiller, organized Thursday’s protest. Other health insurance protests were staged around the country, Stiller said.

Citing a 2007 American Medical Association study, Stiller said the local health insurance market is dominated by two companies, Washoe Health Systems and Wellpoint, Inc., with a market share of 77 percent. Asked why Thursday’s protest targeted United, Stiller said the company, one of the largest health insurers in the country, has a history of dropping customers when they are sick and need medical care the most. Rate-hikes and “amazing” profits have also drawn criticism, she added.

“United Healthcare has been under attack for cutting people off,” Stiller said.

United Healthcare had no response to the allegations.

Stiller and other protesters are hoping for a federal “public option” health insurance with subsidies for the poor, like an expanded Medicaid program. Increased competition should drive down private health insurance prices and increase innovation and health care quality, she said.

Just the opposite could happen if a government public option is instituted, according to Will Shanley, director of public relations for United Healthcare. Shanley warned of increased tax liabilities and higher private health insurance costs if a government option is included in health insurance reform. Shanley said his industry is trying to work out a compromise with legislators.

“We believe comprehensive efforts to reform and modernize health care is critically important,” Shanley said. “We’re working with legislators across the country to expand (health care) access and improve the quality of care.

“We think that (proposed health care) legislation needs to be evaluated,” Shanley said. Health insurance reform will take alot of work instead of grandstanding by protesters, he added.

Protester Susan Hoog, a self-employed realtor, called for a repeal of the McCarran-Ferguson Act. Passed in 1945, the law excluded the health insurance industry from anti-trust laws said Hoog.

“We have what amounts to a near monopoly in most areas,” Hoog said. “That results in less people covered, skyrocketing prices and less innovation (in health care).” Hoog thinks a government-run public option is important but that the McCarran-Ferguson Act should be repealed to “break the monopoly.”

“Small insurance companies don’t have a chance. They can’t compete,” Hoog said.

According to Seton Hall University’s School of Law Health Reform Watch Web site, “The McCarran-Ferguson Act exempts the ‘business of insurance’ from federal anti-trust law. Which is to say that federal law applies only to the extent that the business is not regulated by state law.”

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., have both made statements calling for the repeal of McCarran-Ferguson.

Hoog’s 19-year-old daughter has a pre-existing health condition (melanoma) with a $5,000 health insurance deductible that excludes childbirth. Hoog worries her daughter’s insurance company won’t cover any treatments if the melanoma recurs.

“Until you really use your insurance, you don’t really know what they’ll cover, Hoog said. “It’s scary.”

For information on future events, call Stiller at 232-2823.