Jan 13 2010
Lies Exposed: Health Insurance Companies Funded Attack Ads
During the health care debate, the health insurance industry has said it is for health care reform. Yesterday, Peter Stone and the National Journal broke the news that the industry’s actions were quite different from their words:
Just as dealings with the Obama administration and congressional Democrats soured last summer, six of the nation’s biggest health insurers began quietly pumping big money into third-party television ads aimed at killing or significantly modifying the major health reform bills moving through Congress.
That money, between $10 million and $20 million, came from Aetna, Cigna, Humana, Kaiser Foundation Health Plans, UnitedHealth Group and Wellpoint, according to two health care lobbyists familiar with the transactions. The companies are all members of the powerful trade group America’s Health Insurance Plans.
For the record, the money spent on these negative TV ads could have provided up to 3,000 families health insurance for a year.
It looks like Karen Ignani, the President of the health insurance industry lobbying arm, America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), deliberately deceived the public:
In late October, Ignagni wrote in a letter to the Washington Post defending a health insurer-funded study critical of congressional cost estimates, “Let me be clear and direct, health plans continue to strongly support reform.” However, by that time money was already flowing through AHIP to the chamber to fund its negative ads.
Reflecting on this revelation about attack ads, and remembering Aetna’s decision to force up to 650,000 clients to drop their coverage as it seeks to meet profit expectations, reminds me how vital it is that we keep working to reform the health care industry. You can take action now by calling your Members of Congress.
“Health insurers, generic drugmakers and medical device companies are trying to win small but crucial changes as Democratic leaders in Congress finalize their massive overhaul of the nation’s healthcare system.” - http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE60A3OU20100111
[...] Aggressive Progressive » Lies Exposed: Health Insurance Companies Funded Attack Ads http://www.truemajority.org/aggressiveprogressive/?p=423 – view page – cached During the health care debate, the health insurance industry has said it is for health care reform. Yesterday, Peter Stone and the National Journal broke the news that the industry’s actions were quite different from their [...]
{the money spent on these negative TV ads could have provided up to 3,000 families health insurance for a year.}
Really, that’s incredible!!!
[...] for America Now, noted that America’s Health Insurance Plans - the health insurance lobby - funneled between $10 million and $20 million to the chamber to fund television ads designed to kill health care reform. At the same time, new lobbying [...]
[...] and trade policy; real unemployment needs real solutions; with the money they spent on negative ads, the insurance companies could have provided health insurance to 3000 families; Junk Insurance Tax; [...]