Health Insurance industry forming activist army(industry on the defensive since Dems took control)

[RedEarth]

Ahead of the approaching health care reform storm, the insurance industry is building an ark: a nationwide education campaign aimed at raising an activist army at least 100,000 strong.

The unprecedented effort by America’s Health Insurance Plans, called the Campaign for an American Solution, includes a nationwide listening tour, advertising and an intense recruitment effort aimed at signing up Americans who are satisfied with their private insurance coverage. AHIP President and CEO Karen Ignagni plans to launch the campaign Tuesday by hosting a discussion among a group of uninsured people in Columbus, Ohio.

“On an issue as big and far-reaching as health care reform, you need to be working with real people and you need to have a reach outside the Beltway,” AHIP spokesman Michael Tuffin told Politico in an interview outlining the industry’s strategy. “The issue isn’t going to be settled just by lobbyists in Washington. The American people are going to have their say.”

The massive outreach is AHIP’s attempt to drive debate in a political climate that has had the industry on the defensive since Democrats took control of Congress last year.

http://www.pnhp.org/news/2008/july/insurance_industry_f.php

[mrreowwr_kittty]

1. Ah geez, now we'll have a bunch of astroturf nitwits calling into CSPAN

Railing against the Evils Of Soshulized Medisin.

[Hestia]

2. Now really, how many people will sign up for this? Everyone

pays sky high premiums, or can't afford health insurance. Do you really think people will stand in line to praise their insurance company? not.

[Donnachaidh]

3. they will if they are shareholders

How many people own stock in these for-profit corporations? Even if they are not making huge amounts of profits personally, the companies will set them to howling over how we're trying to take away their right to *free enterprise* and *profit*.

The corporations have plenty of sheep to drive into a frenzy.

[eridani]

4. In any given year, 50% of the population has no health care expense at all

I'll bet every single one of them is absolutely delighted with the state of their health care finances. The basic fact of the matter is that people who never get expensively sick (statistically most of us) will never have a chance to find out whether their insurance is any good. The people in SiCKO all thought they were adequately insured until they got sick.

[unapatriciated]

5. I know I did until my son became ill in 1991.....

I went into debt the first year, second year into his illness my marriage fell apart, he was a republican asshole and didn't want to lose his assets for a child that wasn't his(second marriage what was I thinking), third year lost my job, home and insurance.

I had strong family support but I met many families during my son's 15 year struggle who did not.


Just recently my husband and I were in a car accident and our share of medical cost has now reached over a thousand dollars.
Thank god we are both ok, but you can guess were our stimulus package went, right into the Insurance industry pockets.

[eridani]

6. Like house fires, that stuff doesn't happen to most people, but it COULD

--happen to anybody. That's why society as a whole should share the risks.

[depakid]

7. Neither Obama or the DINO's in Congress are going to cut them out of the equation

So I'm not sure what these parasites are worried about....