Health Insurers Emerge as Obama's Top Foe in Reform Effort

[Pirate Smile]

Source: Washington Post

Now they have an enemy.

For months, President Obama and his administration waged their fight for a health-care overhaul without a clear opponent, even courting the industry executives and interest groups that helped kill reform efforts 15 years ago.

But attacks on the leading Democratic reform plan this week by the insurance lobby left little doubt that two of the most powerful institutions involved in the debate -- the White House and the nation's insurance companies -- have abandoned any real hope of forging a compromise. What was a tenuous truce has turned quickly into an all-out battle, with both sides ratcheting up the hostilities.

As the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday approved a 10-year, $829 billion bill to remake the health-care system, Obama's top advisers and the insurers moved into a more intense stage of conflict.
"The insurance industry has decided to lead the charge against health reform, and everyone recognizes their motives: profits," said White House deputy communications director Dan Pfeiffer. "We are going to make sure they can't sink this effort at the last minute."

Pfeiffer castigated the industry for releasing a report Monday that concluded that the finance panel's bill would increase costs for consumers. "They made themselves a very good foil," he said.



Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/13/AR2009101303472.html?hpid=topnews

[Happyhippychick]

1. And in other news: water is wet!

[Frank Booth]

2. They've apparently been running a lot of web ads, comparing health care

under a public option to waiting at the DMV.

When not logged in, the ads show up on DU.

[WarhammerTwo]

4. Funny...

Going to the DMV (sorry, I mean the MVC) is actually pretty efficient here in Jersey. McGreevy may have effed up a lot of things here before he resigned, but he certainly did fix the MVC.

[MarjorieG]

3. Yes, but, we managed to get out of five cmtes, and maybe WH real goal.

[cyclezealot]

5. No surprise there

We were duped. at this late date, the return of Harry and Thelma was it.. Expect there return.

[Nostradammit]

6. The F*cking Propagandists that write these headlines!

They just never stop. "Heath Insurers Emerge" - that right there is meant to place them in the dominant, pro-active position.

Accurate headline: "Craven Insurance Syndicate Struggling for Survival"

[Mind_your_head]

8. EXACTLY!

"The insurance industry has decided to lead the charge against health reform, and everyone recognizes their motives: profits"

The insurance companies aren't "leading the charge"....they're fighting for survival in a country of 300,000+ million who have been UNDER-SERVED and largely overly CHARGED for a long, long time!

The insurance companies have NOTHING to offer....NOTHING! They don't 'serve' AT ALL....they just take, and take, and take......

It's long past time to "see the light" and cut it with these "insurance" CORPORATIONS (who are usually NEVER THERE when catastrophe strikes).

Most 'insurance' is a very profitable (for the insurance companies) scam.

[WatchWhatISay]

7. "Emerge"!?!?!?

It should have been a given from the beginning.

[Turborama]

10. My thoughts exactly whilst reading that headline. n/t

[Vidar]

9. So how about taking the gloves off & actually attacking the bastards?

[intheflow]

11. File this under "Duh!"

What has the media been smoking, they're just catching on to this now?! :shrug:

[annabanana]

12. Now that so many American's attention has been directed at Health Care

all through the Summer and into the Fall. . .It is going to be impossible for the Insurance Industry to characterize itself as anything OTHER than a money hungry killer.

Good Job Obama!

[No Elephants]

13. In other news, Republicans and Democrats often disagree.

[bain_sidhe]

14. Well, I have to say this for Obama...

His "negotiating" with them kept them on the side lines while the heavy lifting was being done. By "heavy lifting" I mean getting the bills out of the committees, which is farther than Clinton's effort got, largely because the InsCos started propagandizing against it from the get-go.

[Pirate Smile]

15. I agree. If we think August sucked with the Insurance Companies doing astroturf, it would have been...

much worse (as in more effective) if the insurance and drug companies had been going full out to kill the Bills at that time.