by Faiz Shakir, Amanda Terkel, Matt Corley, Benjamin Armbruster, Ryan Powers, and Nate Carlile
Health Insurer's Practices Revealed
In an
interview with PBS's Bill Moyers last Friday, former health
insurance executive Wendell Potter spoke out against the practices of
health insurance companies, stating that "it became really clear to me
that the industry is resorting
to the same tactics they've used over the years, and particularly back
in
the early '90s, when
they were leading the effort to kill the Clinton [health care]
plan." Potter said insurers seek to "drive down" costs by refusing
to insure
"unhealthy people," a tactic borne out by the fact that 47
million Americans currently lack health insurance. The "insurance
industry has been one of the most successful, in beating back
any kinds of legislation that would hinder or affect the profitability
of the companies," said Potter, the former head
of Corporate Communications at health insurance giant
CIGNA. Last
month, Potter told the Senate Committee on Commerce,
Science, and Transportation that the
industry, which once employed him regularly, drops sick
policyholders so they can meet "Wall
Street's relentless profit expectations."
BACK TO THE CLINTON PLAYBOOK:
In 1993, right-wing pundit Bill Kristol urged Republicans to block
any health care proposal in order to prevent the Democrats from being
seen as the "generous
protector of the middle class." Potter says similar tactics are
being used this time around. In the spring, a memo
by Republican strategist Frank Luntz outlined the
script for opponents of health care reform. Luntz argued that a
politician had to first pretend
to support it, but should
then use phrases like "government takeover," "delayed care is denied
care,"
"consequences of rationing," and "bureaucrats, not doctors prescribing
medicine." That jargon is now routinely heard by
Republicans arguing against reform. Republican
consultant Alex Castellanos recently authored a memo that urged
conservatives
to co-opt the cause of "bringing
down health care cost[s]" in an effort to "slow this sausage-making
process down" and "defeat" it. Potter told Moyers that conservative
politicians "want to believe that the free market system can and should
work in this country, like it does in other industries. ... They parrot
those comments, without really realizing what the real situation is."
HOW INSURERS VIEW THE PUBLIC
OPTION: Critics have charged that Obama's proposal to enact a
new public health
insurance plan to compete directly with private insurers would lead to
a "government
takeover" of the health care system. Progressives have long argued
that a public
health insurance option is essential to controlling skyrocketing
health care costs and achieving affordable coverage for
all. Potter
agrees, and argued that health care companies' "biggest concern" is
that
the U.S. might adopt "a broader program like our Medicare program"
which "could potentially reduce the profits of these big companies."
"The industry doesn't want to have any competitor," said Potter. "They
certainly don't want it from a government plan that might be operating
more efficiently than they are." He
added that "we
shouldn't fear government involvement in our health care system.
That there is an appropriate role for government, and it's been
proven." Potter said that he doesn't expect the public option to
rid the health care system of financial incentive, but he does
think it would keep insurers "honest" by offering a "standard benefit
plan" that provides comprehensive coverage.
SMEARING MICHAEL MOORE: In
his documentary SiCKO,
filmmaker Michael Moore exposed the deplorable practices of
the major health insurance and pharmaceutical companies in working to
deny coverage to insured individuals. Armed with the deep pockets of
the health care industry, a number of front groups -- like Freedom
Works, the Galen
Institute, and the Heritage
Foundation -- lobbed personal insults against Moore (such as
perpetuating the false idea that "healthy individuals" would "wind
up subsidizing people like Moore") in an effort to maintain the
status quo. During the interview with Moyers, Potter said that health
insurance companies developed a concerted strategy to radicalize Moore
by labeling him a "Hollywood entertainer" while pushing to discredit
SiCKO as pure "fantasy." But Potter said that he thought Moore "hit
the nail on the head with his movie," which advocated that the
government-run systems of other western democracies produce better
health care outcomes. The health insurance companies "don't want you to
think that it
was a documentary that had some truth," Potter said. To push back
on politicians, Potter said the industry routinely worked to defeat
anyone who opposed their interests. The strategy included running ads,
especially commercials in an elected official's home district, making
contributions to a competitor, and using "lobbyists and their own staff
to go onto Capitol Hill and say, 'Look,
you don't want to believe this movie. You don't want to talk
about it. You don't want to endorse it. And if you do, we can
make things tough for you." Potter said the plan "worked beautifully"
with politicians mouthing the "talking points that had been circulated
by the industry."
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"I will not vote for -- and no senator
should vote for -- an individual nominated by
any president who believes it is acceptable for a judge to allow their
personal
background, gender prejudices, or sympathies to
sway their decision in favor of, or against, parties before the court."
-- Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), 7/13/09
VERSUS
"When I get a case about
discrimination, I have to think about people in my own family who
suffered
discrimination because of their ethnic background or because of
religion or
because of gender. And I do take that into account."
-- Judge Samuel Alito, 1/11/06,
Sessions voted to confirm Alito as a Supreme Court Justice
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