Health Insurers’ Duplicitous Campaign Confirmed...Covertly Gave Millions To Fund Anti-Reform Ads

[ProSense]

Health Insurers’ Duplicitous Campaign Confirmed: Industry Covertly Gave Millions To Fund Anti-Reform Ads

Last September, ThinkProgress reported that, despite its public support for health care reform, the insurance industry was engaged in a “duplicitous” campaign to undermine the effort. Now the National Journal has confirmed that from September to December 2009, “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.” The companies used America’s Health Insurance Plans — the lobbying arm of the insurance industry — “as a conduit to avoid a repeat of the political flack that hit the insurance industry after it famously ran its multi-million dollar ‘Harry and Louise’ ads to help kill health care reforms during the Clinton administration”:

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. The funds were solicited by AHIP and funneled to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to help underwrite tens of millions of dollars of television ads by two business coalitions set up and subsidized by the chamber. Each insurer kicked in at least $1 million and some gave multi-million dollar donations.

Watch a compilation of some of these ads

more

[ibegurpard]

1. sorry, the bill still stinks

n/t

[ProSense]

2. It does prove that the insurance companies hate this bill. n/t

[ibegurpard]

3. it proves

that someone's using a grade school level political tactic of offering up some token opposition to what you really want so someone doesn't think you're really behind something.

[phleshdef]

4. Nice bullshit conspiracy theory. Its like Glen Beck material if Beck wasn't a right winger.

[ibegurpard]

7. nonsense...have you even actually WORKED in a political environment?

this happens all the time

[ProSense]

8. Please link to another $750 million ad campaign n/t

[slipslidingaway]

18. Missed the reference to 750 million and only see references to lower

numbers.


First comment at link, also mentioned in the article.

http://undertheinfluence.nationaljournal.com/2010/01/health-insurers-funded-chamber.php


"Kaiser Permanente did not provide funding in any way for the Chamber advertising campaign. When we provided funds to AHIP last year, we insisted, and AHIP agreed in writing, that our funds could only be used for positive advertising in support of passing health reform. We have confirmed with AHIP that it honored that commitment, and none of Kaiser Permanente’s funds were used to support this advertising campaign.

John Nelson, Kaiser Foundation Health Plans


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.

The funds were solicited by AHIP and funneled to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to help underwrite tens of millions of dollars of television ads by two business coalitions set up and subsidized by the chamber. Each insurer kicked in at least $1 million and some gave multimillion-dollar donations.

"There's no question that AHIP has quietly solicited monies from their members which were funneled over to the chamber for their ads," said a source. The total donated by the health insurers, according to one estimate, was as much as one-quarter of the chamber's total health care advertising budget.

A spokesman for Kaiser said it contributed funds to AHIP last year for positive ads on health care reform, and that AHIP has told the insurer that none of its monies were sent to the chamber..."

[phleshdef]

9. You and others making this claim completely lack any sense of logic.

The health insurance company, if it actually supported this bill, would not need to invest all the money it has to defeat it in order to give the guise of not supporting it. The insurance industry would have NOTHING to lose by just verbally opposing it or not even voicing opposition to it at all. Pumping money into it to defeat it is entirely unnecessary if they actually want it to pass. There is no grand political game here to feign opposition and all claims of such are nothing more than batshit, tinfoil craziness.

[TheKentuckian]

29. LOL!!! Its free chump change. They'll use the money to play with us

and take it right back out of our ass.

If they actually felt threatened in anyway they would have unleashed hell and you couldn't flip a channel without hearing their lying bullshit. Its a feint, a tactic but little else.

If they were really against it then their pawns would just kill it, they've bought enough of our people to take it down and you know it.

[ProSense]

5. Yeah, grade school-level tactics always

employ nearly three-quarters of a billion dollars to make a token point.

[ibegurpard]

6. it's simple and it works

and lol at "token profit"
30 million mandated customer? check
no anti-trust exemption? check
no drug imports? check
no public option? check
what's not to like?

[Cha]

10. They're so fucked and they know it..

being the greedy arseholes that they are.

[depakid]

11. Looks like they got a great return on their investment!

Their strategists must be thanking their lucky stars at hitting the trifecta!

Not only do they have their mandate and subsidies- with few cost control or accountability mechanisms- but there's no public option AND they've managed to deeply wound the Democratic party in the process!

Now there's some chess playing!

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

12. Wonder how much they're spending on Astro-Turf Lobbying...

You know, paying people to pose as Democrats and then spam discussion boards with misinformation. That sort of thing....

[ProSense]

13. "You know, paying people to pose as Democrats and then spam discussion boards with misinformation."

Are you suggesting ThinkProgress is spreading misinformation?

Stupid!

[ibegurpard]

15. he wasn't talking about your link

eom

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

16. Oops. I wasn't clear in my Snark

That wasn't directed at you ProSense.

Although you're probably right. I once asked my wife how often you're supposed to take a "One A Day" Vitamin...

[ProSense]

17. No problem.

:rofl:

[ibegurpard]

14. starry-eyed interns will do that for free

n/t

[Bobbie Jo]

23. It appears to having the desired result.

Nail, Hammer, etc...:think:

[slipslidingaway]

19. "Source: by Dan Pfeiffer, The White House" ....

http://thegovmonitor.com/world_news/united_states/white-house-exposes-health-insurance-companies-on-health-care-reform-21028.html

White House Exposes Health Insurance Companies On Health Care Reform

"A new report today confirms one of Washington’s worst-kept secrets – that big insurance companies are fighting tooth and nail to kill health reform that will wrest power from their hands and give it to American families..."


---So now the question should be how much have insurance and drug companies spent on ads in support of this bill.

Remember when Carper defended the WH deal with Pharma?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=6622945&mesg_id=6622945

http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/60197-senators-reject-proposal-to-lower-drug-costs

09/24/09

"...In exchange for PhRMA’s support of Democratic healthcare reform efforts, Baucus and the White House vowed to an $80 billion limit in cuts that would affect the industry.

...After President Barack Obama himself made a formal announcement of the deal in July, Democratic leaders in the House and Senate were quick to distance themselves from it, asserting they are not bound by deals made between the White House and interest groups.

...The drug industry strongly opposes reintroducing these rebates. The industry also opposes Baucus’s proposal to impose $17.2 billion in fees on the industry and Reid’s plan to hold a floor vote on legislation that would permit prescription drugs to be imported from abroad..."]/b]

[ProSense]

20. "According to the National Journal"

That isn't the White House, which is quoting the report ThinkProgress linked to.

Are you against the WH citing the report?

[slipslidingaway]

21. How much did the drug and pharma companies spend in support of

the bill, also the report says according to two health care lobbyists, are they good sources of information now.

:shrug:

"...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..."

You mentioned 750 million above, where did that number come from and why is the WH not reporting on the terms of the deal with Pharma, although I know you do not like to talk about that deal.


Edited to add the WH Blog link

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/01/12/health-insurance-companies-exposed-again

The White House Blog

Health Insurance Companies Exposed Again

Posted by Dan Pfeiffer on January 12, 2010 at 05:42 PM EST

"A new report today confirms one of Washington's worst-kept secrets – that big insurance companies are fighting tooth and nail to kill health reform that will wrest power from their hands and give it to American families.

According to the National Journal, the nation's largest insurers funneled between $10 million and $20 million dollars through the Chamber of Commerce to fund television ads perpetuating their favorite scary myths about health insurance reform.

The article also exposes that the effort was well underway – and carefully planned to avoid detection – even as the insurance companies were publicly claiming to support reform:..."

[ProSense]

22. Why don't you tell me? n/t

[slipslidingaway]

25. You were the one who mentioned a 750 million ad campaign in post #8

so I cannot help you there.

I read awhile it that the 80 billion dollar deal was in exchange for 150 million campaign to support the bill, not sure if that is accurate.

What was the total spent by various groups in support of HC, not sure and not many are talking about it.

But I must say this is a convenient statement from the WH when many people believe the For Profit companies are getting a good deal with this bill and that the WH gave in to many of their demands. How can they say that when there are no totals for money spent in support of this bill. And again the sources mentioned are two HC lobbyists.

:shrug:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/01/12/health-insurance-companies-exposed-again

Health Insurance Companies Exposed Again
Posted by Dan Pfeiffer on January 12, 2010 at 05:42 PM EST

"A new report today confirms one of Washington's worst-kept secrets – that big insurance companies are fighting tooth and nail to kill health reform that will wrest power from their hands and give it to American families..."

[slipslidingaway]

30. Crickets on the 750 million ad campaign. n/t

[cherokeeprogressive]

24. Do you remember me telling you that it was one of the best investments ever made?

A diversion of epic proportions?

Yup Yup. They're giggling like schoolgirls. Smiling like the proverbial cat that ate the canary... And wondering what they're going to buy with all that cash.

[donco6]

26. Well, until they got the bill changed to match what they wanted.

Then the ads abruptly stopped. Go figger.

[freddie mertz]

27. Sorry, the bill in its present forms still sucks ass.

Join us in the effort to improve it.

[bornskeptic]

28. Oh Nos!!! Another one for under the bus!!

"The industry’s covert ad campaign isn’t the industry’s only means of wasting millions of premium dollars on sabotaging reform. As former health insurance executive Wendell Potter told ThinkProgress, insurers are using a variety of front groups to advance a hidden attack campaign. The industry regularly feeds talking points to right-wing media like Rush Limbaugh and Fox News, mobilizes anti-reform “grassroots” groups and coordinates with conservative think-tanks to produce academic-appearing reports to advance their cause."

So long Wendell. Been nice knowing you.

[Lord Helmet]

31. Of course they did.