WaPo - "Insurers quietly fund opposition to Democrats' health push"

[TomCADem]

I guess the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and AHIP did not get the memo that they are the ones pushing health care reform. It is so odd that corporations oppose "corporatist" health care reform.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2010/01/insurers-quietly-fund-oppositi.html?wprss=44

The nation's largest health insurance group confirmed Tuesday that it quietly funneled millions of dollars to an advertising campaign opposing Democratic health-care legislation even as it was publicly pledging support for reform.

National Journal reported that six major health insurers -- Aetna, Cigna, Humana, Kaiser Foundation Health Plans, UnitedHealth Group and Wellpoint -- contributed up to $20 million to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to help fund a $100 million anti-reform ad campaign that began last year. The magazine, citing two unidentified health-care lobbyists, said the money was solicited by America's Health Insurance Plans, the industry trade group which professed early support for the Obama administration's reform plans before souring on major provisions of the legislation.

AHIP press secretary Robert Zirkelbach confirmed the group's support for the advertising campaign, saying in a statement that many of the employers who purchase insurance plans were opposed to key parts of the health-care legislation under consideration in Congress.

"We share the very serious concerns employers have raised about provisions that will increase health-care costs, including new premium taxes that will hit businesses hard," Zirkelbach said. "So when the employer community -- our customers -- asked us to contribute to their campaign, we readily agreed."

[Schema Thing]

1. but, but , but, this is a gift to them... :sarcasm:

[depakid]

2. More incredibly shallow "thinking" -and an old article to boot

:eyes:

[shopgreen]

3. a few days old. so what!!

[TomCADem]

4. A January 12, 2010 Article Is Old?

This is the discussion board, not Latest Breaking News. Another false talking point is that Democrats do not support the passage of health care reform:

<>

[Political Heretic]

5. It's not odd at all. God people can not afford to be this STUPID.

:rant:

I'm sorry, but I've just blown my stack. I can't get over how stupid some people can be.

Corporations LOSE NOTHING by actively opposing all health reform until the bitter end. They have everything to gain by opposing any legislation until the bitter end, because it has been proven that the more the oppose THE MORE THEY GAIN, AND NEGOTIATIONS ARE STILL GOING ON

Are people just conveniently choosing to overlook the well published internal memorandum leaked to the NTY about insurance insiders cheering the outcome of HRC and bragging about how much they won?

Are people too stupid to look at the stock market and see insurance stocks soaring?

Do people have no sense of corporate political lobbying strategy? There is zero - absolutely NO REASON - for them to stop publicly opposing reform. Because the ultimate miracle for them would be no reform at all. However, they've already declared VICTORY over the health reform bill, insuring enough concessions, loopholes and fucking giveaways to guarantee they laugh all the way to the bank.

PLEASE, IN THE NAME OF ZEUSES FUCKING BUTTHOLE STOP MAKING SUCH STUPID ARGUMENTS!!!

AAAAAAARRRRG!!!!

/goes for a long walk in the rain.

[Nikki Stone1]

6. The opposition is being funded to SHAPE the bill, not kill it.

They don't want it killed: they want that MANDATE. So they are pressuring from different sides. It's a multiflanked plan.

BTW that is what your article actually says: read the one referenced in the WApo article.

[TomCADem]

7. Yet, Here Is The President of The U.S. Chamber Again Attacking HCR

The fact of the matter is the unions and AARP have strongly supported HCR while the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has repeatedly attacked it:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/12/AR2010011203517.html

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce will be actively involved in midterm House and Senate races and even in upcoming judiciary picks, the group's president said Tuesday, while adding that he "gets along fine" with the White House, despite recent clashes over health-care reform.

* * *

Donohue's speech included plenty of red meat for pro-business, free-market fans, including the assertion that health-care-reform legislation as it exists in the House and Senate is a prescription for "an eventual government takeover of American health care."

He pushed for the United States to conclude trade pacts with other countries, noting that European rivals are on their way to doing so. If the United States does not pass a pending trade agreement with South Korea, for instance, 350,000 U.S. workers could lose their jobs, he said.

[Nikki Stone1]

8. Of COURSE he is, that's the strategy. You criticize everything to get what you want.

You don't criticize pieces in the world of hardball.

Now I'm not going to kick your post anymore. Just understand that in the big leagues things work much differently. None of this surprises me.

[TomCADem]

10. I Get It! So, The Sierra Club Really Hates The Environment...

NOW is anti-choice, and the IPAA really supports cap and trade when it attacks it. Up is down?

[berni_mccoy]

11. LOL! SNAP! +1

[endless october]

9. and they spent 635 million dollars to get a favorable bill, as well.

the bill they purchased is a health insurance industry bailout.