Insurance Industry Lobbying Group To Spend Seven Figures On First PR Campaign Salvo

[babylonsister]

http://christyhardinsmith.firedoglake.com/2009/07/20/insurance-industry-lobbying-group-to-spend-seven-figures-on-first-pr-campaign-salvo/

Insurance Industry Lobbying Group To Spend Seven Figures On First PR Campaign Salvo
Christy Hardin Smith
Monday July 20, 2009 5:35 am

Video at link~

AHIP, the insurance industry interest group that lobbies for insurance interests on the Hill and elsewhere, is launching its first PR salvo into the health care debate.

According to Politico, they are spending seven figures to do it.

And they've launched a super-swell website touting an "American Solution" to healthcare that, inadvertently I'm sure, fails to mention any public option or single payer perspective. I haven't been able to find it mentioned, anyway.

Go figure.

But the images in the AHIP ad sure are feel-good America. So they can't be all bad, right?

I mean, they are willing to throw every lobbyist they can hire -- paid for with your premium dollars -- to weasel around the Hill and make certain their insurance industry {profits} interests are covered. (Imagine if they put that effort into encouraging preventative care, instead?)

So what's the point of this ad campaign? Trying to reverse their image of greedy, grasping, concerned with profits and the bottom line at the expense of the people they insure.

Because that piss poor, greedy image is hurting their bottom line at the moment. And driving the 76% of Americans who support real health care reform to do the once-thought impossible thing: calling, faxing, and contacting their elected representatives and demanding something better.

In short, all of your calls are scaring the bejeebers out of the insurance industry. Because they are forcing the conversation to include the public's interest.

Keep it up! Use our citizen whip tool. Because the insurance industry doesn't want you to...
http://action.firedoglake.com/page/s/publicoption

[ejpoeta]

1. here's what I don't get.....

why does no one make the connection that the amount these people are spending to stop any reform is enough to pay for insurance to cover everyone??? or at least damned close. how many people could be covered with the amount they are spending to quash a public option??

[babylonsister]

2. That doesn't matter. "These people" don't have our best interests at

heart; their bottom line and profits are much more important to them.
I think Americans have made that connection, which is why so many welcome health care reform.

[LiberalAndProud]

3. They are afraid. Very afraid.

This is a good thing. I'm going to tell everyone I know exactly who is sponsoring that campaign.

[slipslidingaway]

4. knr nt

[slipslidingaway]

5. Here is their ad - they seem to support the current proposal....

mandated coverage and they will cover pre-existing conditions.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R36YJl8SagU

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=6083122&mesg_id=6083153

The deal...November 2008...

"The health insurance industry said today it will support a national health care overhaul that requires them to accept all customers, regardless of pre-existing medical conditions -- but in return it wants lawmakers to mandate that everyone buy coverage.

The board of directors for America's Health Insurance Plans agreed to the trade-off Monday night. The board endorsed the proposal after a series of hearings in various states.

"We hope this will be a contribution to help members of Congress fashion their proposal," said Karen Ignagni, president and chief executive officer of the trade group. "We're going to provide all the technical background that we have assembled, all the experience we've assembled at the state level, and we're going to work very hard with members of Congress on both sides of the aisle. We want to make sure that whatever reforms are advanced, no one falls through the cracks."

[slipslidingaway]

6. This ad just aired on CNN. n/t