For many long years, I’ve rummaged around the AHIP (America’s Health Insurance Plans) web site quite regularly. Do yourself and the American people a favor, and in the days and weeks ahead, check in from time-to-time with this despicable organization.
AHIP has been issuing a steady stream of updates throughout this ordeal about the legislative process.
If you go to the AHIP web site, you’ll notice that their last official news update came on November 19th.
There’s no doubt, this miserable lobbyist, knows silence, not gloating or even a comment, is the way to react to the -legislation- giveaway.
They’ve won–everything.
Operational silence from AHIP.
Since we’re on the verge of passing a totally pro-industry bill, AHIP which represents the universally loathed for-profit insurance industry, is going to ground. This is the only way to greet their great victory, and our tremendous loss.
As the recipient of tens of millions of new -customers- victims, AHIP and its members know full well the only way to greet this sellout to the American people is a stony silence.
But before I go any further. Have you watched the latest Bill Moyers with health care, economist Robert Kuttner and journalist Matt Taibbi? Watch it! The entire sordid healthcare story in 35 minutes of explosive television.
Returning to AHIP.
In addition to its policy statements, AHIP also has a so-called blog, which they update relentlessly with pro industry news articles.
The most recent update comes from the Economist, but the AHIP employee responsible for the updates, must not have read the entire article.
The Economist article makes the AHIP point that mandates are an essential component of universal healthcare, and that we Americans, will need to get used to a new world order where covering everyone requires mandates.
But the article goes on to say that surely the U.S. government will also mandate cost controls and "premium regulations". But no, not for we exceptional Americans. The writer, unfamiliar with the U.S. healthcare/industrial complex, made an assumption, which we know AHIP would not tolerate. Price regulation of insurance policies would present an intolerable intrusion into the profits of AHIP members. Hence Americans will continue to remain fully at the mercy of the insurance corporations with no escape provided.
But another way to look at it is this: Americans are still not used to the way universal health-insurance systems work. Mr Olbermann, for example, is angry that working-class Americans will be obliged to buy health insurance that could cost up to 17% of their incomes. Mr Olbermann is right; that figure is too high. But there is plenty of time before 2013 to ensure that no one ends up paying such extortionate premiums, and it’s a good bet that, if reform passes, no one will. What happens in systems where people are obliged to buy health insurance is that, if such insurance is unaffordable, governments are forced to find a way for people to afford it, or governments are voted out of office. In the Netherlands and Switzerland, the private-based universal health-insurance models to which America’s current reform aspires, governments employ a mixture of provider-cost controls, premium regulations, and subsidies to make sure nobody has to pay 17% of their income for health insurance. If people were forced to pay that much for health insurance, governments would fall—and they have.
David Axelrod knows full well that what he has recently been saying is not true. Axelrod knows that the insurance industry is no longer fighting this -legislation- giveaway tooth and nail. Why would they, they’ve received everything and more? Administration spokespeople, small favor please, don’t insult our collective intelligence. We lived through eight years of deceit, now we want our information straight up.
Matter of fact, I could tolerate more easily what the Administration is foisting on us if the truth started to seep out. This pact with the Devil was made because this is the way you keep the $$$ flowing from the insurers to the Democratic party and Obama 2012.
Axelrod: "Every single day we’re battling the insurance industry who are spending hundreds of millions of dollars to defeat this bill".
http://seminal.firedoglake.com/diary/19835
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