Private Insurance Begins Its Propaganda War
Published June 30, 2009 @ 09:41PM PT
As if it wasn’t bad enough that private, for-profit insurance routinely makes its money by getting between us and our doctor, now they want to get between us and real health care reform. They’ve put a Web site to advocate for keeping things exactly as they are, thank you very much, and they're not afraid to cherry-pick facts like they cherry-pick customers. The propaganda war has begun.
We’ve known that this day must come. Yes, we’ve heard Karen Ignagni, CEO of America’s Health Insurance Plans, tell President Obama that “we understand we need to earn a seat at the table” on health care reform. But few of us thought it would last. We heard her at a Senate Finance Committee hearing talk about how the insurance industry needed more regulation, and even claim that with additional regulation, our reform plan wouldn’t need the public health insurance option, designed to compete with private insurance and “keep it honest.” It seemed rational. We knew that couldn’t last, either. After all, there was too much money in it for them.
Today, an email went out from a new Web site, GetHealthReformRight.org, warning in spooky terms that because of the current House bill, “Many Americans would lose their current employer-sponsored coverage as millions of people are shifted into a government plan.” It urges, “Congress should build on the current employer-sponsored healthcare system that is already working for more than 160 million Americans.” Presumably this means Congress should not follow the will of 72% of the American people and 50% of Republicans and create a public competitor to private insurance.
This of course is the same employer-sponsored and profit-drive health care system that one of its former executives admitted to Congress is “a Wall Street-run system that has proven itself an untrustworthy partner to its customers, to the doctors and hospitals who deliver care, and to the state and federal governments that attempt to regulate it.”
The Web site in question is beautifully done. If I put together a parody site, it would look a lot like this.
- Picture of doctors and nurses who sort of look nice but also vaguely sinister? Check!
- A “Myths vs. Facts” page that relies on half-truths and exaggeration? Check out this most excellent sentence: “A recent study estimates that up to 119 million people with private coverage would be shifted into the new government plan almost overnight.” If you read this blog, you know a.) this would be people choosing the plan, not shifting into it, b.) the Lewin Group study only says 119 million would shift if the public plan had straight-up Medicare rates, was open to everyone, and forced doctors to participate – three conditions that are in zero of the Congressional proposals on the table, and c.) overnight is a laughable exaggeration. Buddy, ain’t nothing happening overnight, no matter how successful the public plan is. (More myths debunked by Jason Rosenbaum – go check his post out!)
- A “What’s at Stake” page more interested in scaring people than being factual? Try this opening sentence on for size: “If you are one of the over 160 million American workers receiving healthcare from your employer, you should know your coverage may be at risk.” There's a germ of truth here -- but it’s called “You’ve got private insurance, and that’s how they make their profits.”
- A “Media Center” page that cherry-picks press stories on reform? Well, let’s see: articles and editorials in praise of Republicans “plan,” articles suggesting Obama is rushing or misguided, an article on those poor nasty reform advocates beating up on poor Conservatives for Patients Rights mastermind Rick Scott… need I say anymore?
- And the coup de grace – their sponsorship page lists “organizations whose shared mission is to ensure consumers continue to have access to employer-sponsored healthcare plans” – plans that they happen to sell. From America’s Health Insurance Plans to the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors, the gang’s all here!
I guess we can stop waiting for the insurance industry to earn that seat at the table...
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Comments (17)
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Tim has been an online organizer and blogger on health care policy for the Obama for America campaign (during the primaries) and currently for the Committee of Interns and Residents/SEIU Healthcare, a labor union for intern and resident doctors. Views expressed here are Tim's, and don't represent the positions of CIR or SEIU.
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Attacking insurance companies will be a total waste of time. Wasted energy. They can do little more than pay lobbyists. I would put an emphasis on those in Congress who receive money from them.
The important thing is that President Obama who has the ball do the right thing.
Anyone who has gotten a hospital bill knows full well what the problem is. So the insurance companies are already isolated.
I think that the memo of former Secretary of Labor, Robert Reich to President Clinton is worth reading.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106037898
http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/140799/memo_from_robert_reich_to_obama:_here%27s_how_to_save_universal_health_care/
One only has to read the quote below from David Brooks on the PBS News Hour to realize how much things have changed.
PBS News Hour June 26, 2009
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/politics/jan-june09/shieldsbrooks_06-26.html
DAVID BROOKS: No, he's talked a great game on cost, which to me is the core issue. We do not want to go bankrupt as a country, and I'm off the reservation. I'm for single-payer. I'm for anything to help it reduce costs. And he has talked a great game on costs. He's really emphasized the need to bend the curve...
The challenge is to persuade and to get as many people on board as possible.
The remarkable thing is that the single payer people for a variety of reasons have not been able to get a true discussion of all options. The people and the terminology behind single payer are wrong.
I who know Canadian health care from direct observation am for universal insurance with global budgeting.
Today is Canada Day. A few comments from some Canadians:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/01/opinion/01canadaday.html?_r=1&pagewanted=print
Bohdan A. Oryshkevich, MD, MPH
Posted by Bohdan Oryshkevich on 07/01/2009 @ 06:19AM PT
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Here is what you can do:
3 Actions For Single Payer
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~in this issueSend a faxBlue RibbonObama Town HallDear Dr. Linda Mendoza,
Congressman Conyers' aide called yesterday to thank you for your unrelenting efforts supporting single payer. He said that what you are doing has moved Congress a long way toward the goal. But we are not done yet. There are a few specific actions you can do today:
Send a fax today and every day.Join the Blue Ribbon campaign.Ask the President a question. Send a fax today~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~So far, you have sent over 135 thousand faxes to Congress and the White House supporting single payer. Don't stop now. Our fax tool has several pre-written faxes, telling Congress in all sorts of ways that you want single payer health care. You can edit each one to say exactly what you want, or just send it as is. Each fax goes to the White House and to key legislators, but also to your own Senators and Representative. Send a fax ever day. Start now.
Click here to send your fax.
Tie (or Tape) a Blue Ribbon On Your Trees, Mailbox, Door, etc.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~A couple of weeks ago, Rick Ford in Florida proposed that supporters of single payer start wearing a blue bandana as an armband to rallies. In Washington DC on June 25, all the single payer people that came with HealthJustice wore blue armbands. We put blue armbands on hundreds more of the people there. We used strips of blue cloth, but even better, we used blue painters' masking tape. It's just the right color, it's cheap and it goes anywhere without leaving a mark when removed.
Go to home Depot or the local hardware store today. Buy a roll of blue painters' masking tape. Tape a few turns around every tree, maibox or lamppost in your neighborhood. And when people ask, tell them it symbolizes the demand for REAL health reform. It means single payer Medicare For All. Without REAL health reform, we will all have the 'HealthCare Blues."Ask a Question -- Again and Again~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~President Obama is answering questions in an online Town Hall broadcast from Annandale, VA. As usual, people are asked to post their own questions with a couple of new twists: you can use Twitter or YouTube to ask your question.
We can take a lesson from the marijuana legalization folks by making a massive response with a single question. Here it is: "Mr. Obama, you recognize that single payer health care is the best system if we are starting from scratch. Our non-system is so broken that we are in fact starting from scratch. But Congress says single payer is not politically feasible. Americans don't believe that. Only you can make Congress understand that single payer is politically feasible and the right way to enact REAL reform the first time. If you go to the American people, we will back you up and cheer you on. Please, won't you do the right thing for Americans? Make single payer politically feasible for Congress."
If everyone uses the same or similar words, we will have a shot at having our question answered. Cut and paste the question above.
Post your question by recording a video on YouTube (if you have a camera on your computer)
or by posting your question on Facebook
or by sending a tweet with the tag #WHHCQ.
Quick Links...~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~HealthJusticeEverybody In, Nobody Out Store - Show Your ColorsSimple Answers on Single Payer
Talking Points on Single PayerContact Information~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~phone: 801-363-8888 clark.newhall@health-justice.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Posted by Lee Dorsey on 07/01/2009 @ 07:41AM PT
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The President repeated his usual refrain that moving to a Single Payer system would be "too disruptive" for a citizenry that generally gets health insurance through their employers.
I don't buy that argument.. Think about it. We adopt Single Payer. The money that was taken out of my check to pay for health care becomes income. My take-home pay increases but I'm taxed more.
Economically, I haven't lost or necessarily gained anything. Except for many people it means they can finally retire or quit their job and pursue another occupation because their health care is no longer tied to their employer and neither are they.
If that's disruptive, please disrupt me more.
The three principle enemies of health care reform are ignorance, ideology, and the special interests which prey upon both.
Posted by Martin Bring on 07/01/2009 @ 12:37PM PT
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I spoke at the State Capital in OKC the last time the Representatives talked about how to change things. They were trying to get hospitals to cooperate. Clinton was president. I am a retired RN, I've been forced to turn patients away because they had no money! Once a car had fallen on a guy? They dump patients, pressure staff to "chart right" in training (to lie), turn away patients deny it. I guess they don't we do! I became a nurse so I could care for my family, after already being an illegal RN doing medical care for my children. I could have been put in jail for. Tenting, ice~humidifier, etc. for asthmatic children~more shush. People stitch up their own wounds? Have to die due to no health care for nothing! We want to leave America period over this issue alone. I am ashamed of my county over this. The movie sick proved they lied period! We have NO trust of the congress or representatives to represent us instead of special groups, and they always lie now. Just fancy terms to "trick," deceive the public. The term sounds like a No, but means a yes? Deception. I pray they get it right, or maybe we could join Canada and Mexico to become "The Americas" instead of the USA before everyone exodus the heck out of here like they did in Africa.
Posted by Terri Oslin on 07/01/2009 @ 10:53PM PT
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The really sad story is that any part of the American public could be more sympathetic to the story of someone from Canada or England who cannot get elective surgery that they are to a fellow American citizen who dies or who is denied the opportunity to work for lack of health care.
http://thehealthcaremaze.us
Posted by james mcgee on 07/02/2009 @ 03:58AM PT
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Whoa, since when is this 'sinister' in any way? Last I checked, America was founded with such principles as capitalism and free enterprise in mind... and as far as I recall, socialized health care tends to defeat both of these.
Those in the current health insurance business have their jobs on the line - and people are going at them for trying to defend their livelihoods?
Posted by Jessica Clark on 07/03/2009 @ 01:10PM PT
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The only time the word "sinsiter" was used was in regards to that picture. The woman in the front, though clearly smiling, has a certain je ne sais quoi. Perhaps sinister isn't the right word, but neither is friendly.
I had no idea that socialized health care defeated capitalism. That's probably a big surprise to Japan, South Korea, Australia and most of Europe...
Posted by Timothy Foley on 07/03/2009 @ 01:21PM PT
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I would like to suggest that no one in the insurance industry would be without a job, in fact with single-payer health care someone has to do the paperwork. The way medicare is set up, there are federal health care regulations and then there are agencies that administer the payments for bills submitted, and monitor for fraud, etc.
Another issue everyone is saying, and I hear it everyday, is there will be long waiting lines for health care. I am a nurse and can tell you that the state of nursing right now is not healthly. Hospitals are like mini insurance companies, controlling who gets health care, how much they get, and usually those are the people with the best insurance. They treat staff like commodities that can be replaced if they stand up and suggest doing anything more ethical for patients. Many nurses are not working in the field today, giving up the fight for good health care for fear of retaliation when they try to improve care or report abuses. I think Single payor health care would bring many nurses out of the closet.
If single payer health care was in place, and each hosptial and clinic were to receive a certain amount of money for a year to support of patients, then managment could change their job descriptions from cost-containing to improving care and maybe developing programs and clinics to help those in their communities with actual prevention of illness and . What a novel concept.
Single -payor health care doesn't have to be like any other country, doesn't have to be "socialist". We can make it a model of good care. The money saved from the way health care is done right now with the insurance industry especially with all the money going to lobbyists and their sorted activities, we would fund health education such as for doctors and nurses and educators. And, we don't have to have the same type of system we have had and that has failed us miserably, that of when a person gets sick they go to the doctor. When needed, the person goes into the hosptial for acute care and surgeries, and the old and frail get placed in large extended care facilities. If we think out of the box and create a new way for people to obtain health care, even wellness care, we will achieve the goal of reducing amount of acute care needed in this country... which saves money.
I think the biggest problem we have in achieving a grand new system, is that legislators and insurance industry leaders and top hospital administrators are all trying to develop what they think we need, based on keeping their fingers in the pot. WE really need innovators and health care practitioners at all levels to create the new model... nurses, doctors, educators, etc.. the actual people on the line that sees what is not working and knows what would really work. These people are also not asked to the discussion table. And, just because they people are trained in health care doesn't mean they are ignorant of the financial aspect of this new adventure.
Posted by Jerri Bedell on 07/03/2009 @ 05:33PM PT
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I don't believe that American was founded on the principle of Capitalism. Rather it worked it's way over to it. And it "worked" so far it went over the cliff -- or perhaps you didn't notice!
Why does the word "socialism" strike such fear in hearts of others? I don't get it. We have social security and works very well (even better if Congress wouldn't rob it's till to balance other accounts) and medicare and medicaid. They could be considered socialism, altho that's a stretch for me.
We've had capitalism and it brought is up Enron, and GMC/Chrysler, and Lehman Bros., and CitiBank, and AIG, and Maddoff and Long Term Capital Management, and Equity Funding, and .... oh well, you know. It's long and illustrious list that should strike fear in the hearts of men (and woman). They destroyed the retirement funds of millions, and messed up our economy but good -- even into the world-wide economy. And with all this, I'm supposed to be frightened of socialism and worship capitalism. Sorry. Not me. I'm smarter than that.
Single payer health care should work and probably would if we'd give it chance. Private health insurance has been given lots of chances for decades and all they've done is "blow it" and made a mess. No point in trying that again -- we're sure to get the same results (or worse). Sorry about the people that work for these companies but perhaps some would be welcome in the single payer plan.
Posted by Dirk Faegre on 07/04/2009 @ 08:21PM PT
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"and as far as I recall, socialized health care tends to defeat both of these."
what about our "socialized" military, police and fire departments, and schools???
Posted by Benjamin Clark on 07/12/2009 @ 02:36PM PT
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I guess we had better warn you then that police services, schools, fire department services and a host of other services that we have come to take for granted falls under the same "socialized" label.I guess we should give those up...don't want to slide into socialism.
Posted by Jerry Collins on 07/14/2009 @ 12:36PM PT
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I have written letters to my own Senators and Rep so many times on healthcare reform and although it may make them aware of what others think - they are Republicans and are still standing on the stupid idea that some tax credit or a patients bill of rights will solve people not having healthcare. Their logic is illogical and I remind them of this often.
I also remind them that they have "socialist" healthcare through their government-provided healthcare plan they all get for FREE. None of them "scared" of this socialist program they all enjoy and they all use it and have never complained about it. So if it works for them, why can't we all have the same plan they have??? Of course, they do not respond.
I have also written every single Senator and Congressmen who will accept email from "non constituents". Many do. I know they represent certain states but I think they also need to hear a national perspective on this issue.
Like others here, the problem is the health insurance lobby which has entrenched itself within Congress. I am sure they have filled the pockets of many members of Congress to stop any reform or changes to the current system.
I just threaten my representatives that if they vote against a government plan option that provides real competition to the greed-based insurance companies, they will lose their seats and then they can deal with private insurance hell like the rest of us.
I keep reminding them we elected them and gave them all their benefits and we can just as easily take it away by voting them out of office. 2 of the 3 are up for reelection in 2010 and are already in trouble here in NC because they are Republican and have voted NO on everything this Congressional year just like the rest of the Party of NO.
I tell them they are going to lose their seats anyway because of their total inaction and irresponsible behavior by voting NO on everything regardless of what harm they were causing us who voted for them. If they are going to lose their seats anyway, then at least do one decent thing before they leave office and that is to vote for a solid government healthcare plan option.
I have also told every member of Congress that I do not care what the initial costs are for this government option. It will start a cascading effect on decreasing healthcare costs as competition works as it always does. They wasted over $1 trillion dollars on a fraudulent war in Iraq and now it is time to invest in the future of America.
I have tried every angle I can think of and I know President Obama and his team are working behind the scenes trying to build a grassroots support that will be undeniable.
It is very frustrating.
However I believe we all need to keep bombarding Congress with what we want in healthcare reform. If we do not speak up, then who will? If we do not demand they listen to us or lose their seats, then what power are we not using that we can use to get their attention?
73% of Americans want a government healthcare option because we know real reform will only come when the insurance company monopoly is broken with real competition for them.
If 73% of us threaten our Congress members that we will work to make sure they are defeated when they come up for reelection if they do not listen to people they are supposed to be representing, then it will have an impact. Our vote is our power and the one weapon we can wield over Congress.
I
Posted by Beverly Tatum on 07/03/2009 @ 09:23PM PT
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I've been on a single payer health care plan most of my adult life. I'm retired military and 100% disabled from the military and use the VA, I also have Medicare but I don't use it often, so I know what single payer is about. I don't have to worry about my prescription cost, I don't have to worry that my doctors are keeping me from have surgery or keeping me from seeing a specialist, I know what ever happens to me that I will be taken care of, so either the people who do not want single payer health care have some sort of government provided plan or they pay an enormous price for their real good plans, I have a friend who is against single payer health care she says she doesn't want a large government running her health care plan, her husband retire from Criminal Investigation from the State of Iowa, I told her that she has a socialized taxpayer paid insurance plan already and that anyone who works for the government either Federal, State, County or city have the best plans available so why should she be against single payer plan since she is already on one, but she told me that her husbands retirement did not include health care benefits and they pay for their own which is a lie, since I went to the Iowa benefits for employees active and retired and retired personnel keep the same insurance as they had when they actually worked, now this women has had a major stroke and I'm thinking to myself if some how that they went out and got family coverage first would they even be able to get it and second if they could how much would it cost and how could they afford the premiums, these are the people who want to keep the status Que because they believe that they would get less care then what the government gives them now if everyone had the say kind of plans, she out right lied to me so she wouldn't have to admit that she was on a tax payer funded health care plan, I've known her since grade school and I couldn't really believe she would tell me this lie, especially when it is so easy to look up the truth on the Net, which I did, I don't know if I'm going to make her face it or go moot with the information, she does know that she is on socialized insurance she can lie how ever she wants to me, but she knows it and has to live with this lie so she wouldn't have to confront the truth with me. She is a straight up Republican by her talking points and her view that a large government is some how going to be the ruin of us, it's hard to tell these people that the small government lack of regulations or lack of enforcing the regulations has brought us to our knees they don't believe it. It's Obama's fault so on and so on, you know the rest of the story.
Posted by Kathryn Edwards on 07/04/2009 @ 05:23AM PT
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Kathryn, some people only see and hear what they want to. They make up the rest so it is believable. Sad
Posted by Jerry Collins on 07/14/2009 @ 12:40PM PT
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Not every human misery has to be translated into opportunity for a profit. Even in this country, a bastion of unregulated capitalism, we recognize this.
Preventing the system from evolving (with a little help from a non-profit Public Option) towards cutting the no-value-adding middle man out of the picture, decreasing the cost of Health Care while increasing the efficiencies, is not very American either, and is an oportunity cost. It is essentually a public subsidy of the private insurance industry masked as ideological call for sacredness of the rights of corporations to extract unlimited profits from any human misery.
We don't have private for-profit police checking if you have crime insurance before accepting or rejecting your somebody-is-breaking-into-my-house call.
Consider also this. Nazis used to kill the sick and dump them into a ditch. How is the system which dumps the sick into a metaphorical ditch (but does lead to real deaths, financial ruin, and a massive human tragedy) just because they are sick (pre-existing condition), or are temporarily out of job conceptually different from this?
The history will not judge kindly those who oppose publicly provided health benefits for others while enjoying their own. Our Senators for example...
Posted by Petar Simic on 07/04/2009 @ 12:10PM PT
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Here is another subtle peace of propaganda, masked as objective news article:
Europe's free, state-run health care has drawbacksAs US tackles health care reform, some Europeans warn against too much government control By Maria Cheng, AP Medical Writer On Saturday July 4, 2009, 3:32 pm EDT
Article ends in quoting a London think-tank(er) saying:
"The U.S. health system is a bit of a mess, but based on what's happened in some countries in Europe, I'd be nervous about recommending more government involvement."
Posted by Petar Simic on 07/04/2009 @ 01:45PM PT
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I wonder how the Europeans would like to have our health system? Methinks they might beg and plead to have theirs back, pronto, after a year (or less) of discovering how poorly it works.
Posted by Dirk Faegre on 07/04/2009 @ 08:23PM PT
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