Did health insurers lean on their employees to lobby Congress -- on work time?

[Kadie]

Did health insurers lean on their employees to lobby Congress -- on work time?

It's one thing to see a rowdy health care town hall meeting on TV. It's another to have your boss tell you to go to one. Or write your Congressman about health care.

Yet that's what Consumer Watchdog -- a SoCal uh, consumer watchdog -- is alleging that two major health insurers have done to their charges. On Wednesday they asked California Attorney General Jerry Brown to take a moment out from denying that he's running for governor to investigate whether United Healthcare and Wellpoint have violated the California Labor Code with their entreaties. The AG's Christine Gasparac told us Wednesday: "We are currently reviewing the letter."

The Watchdogs point to an email United Healthcare sent to employees saying if they needed help contacting Congress the company would send an "advocacy specialist" to help them.

Said the Watchdogs: "Both companies are urging their employees to lobby members of Congress and offering corporate assistance in doing so, including talking points and even the placing of phone calls for the employees."

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/nov05election/detail?entry_id=46780&tsp=1#ixzz0Q079B4NH


Letter to Jerry Brown
http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/resources/BrownLetter9-2-09.pdf



email from United Healthcare

[Kadie]

1. .

:kick:

[dflprincess]

2. Is this the memo United Health Group sent to its employees?

Your insurance premiums at work.