So - I've yet to see even one "big insurance" funded TV ad trashing the HCR bill.

[SmileyRose]

Not one single big mainstream doctor's or nurse's organization trashing it either. Not even in redder than red Georgia. Not one big well known consumer group out with a full court press against it.

Not one.


And I ask myself why would that be if "EVERYONE" HATES THIS.

[eridani]

1. Of course insurance companies don't hate it--they got most of what they want n/t

[Fumesucker]

2. They spent enough lobbying Congress to get the bill they want..

A health insurance lobbyist largely wrote the damn bill in the first place.

When you own the politicians you don't need to run Harry and Loise ads..

[pnwmom]

3. What would be the point? The major bill is signed. They'd be throwing their money away.

They spent plenty in the months leading up to now.

[Fumesucker]

4. "Yet to see" means someone has never seen one..

When Clinton tried health care "Harry and Louise" ads were all over the media for months on end.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_and_Louise

We have seen nothing comparable with this bill.

[pnwmom]

11. I saw plenty of anti-health care reform ads in my area. Who was funding them?

[Selatius]

5. I believe the notion that everybody must buy private insurance is one they ultimately favored.

Yes, they wanted that without outlawing rescission or exclusion based on pre-existing conditions and several other things, but at the end of the day, they were perfectly happy with accepting the private insurance mandate if it meant giving up several of those other things the bill ultimately outlawed. It's not a perfect bill in their eyes, but it essentially guarantees the health insurance industry will likely not collapse any time soon.

[pampango]

6. Targeting media buys in blue or purple areas since all repubs were voting to "kill the bill"?

[ThomWV]

7. There is no reason they would spend money trashing a bill that has passed

They will spend their money in the fall on Politicians who they can buy to support their interests.

[Fumesucker]

8. Where have this bill's version of "Harry and Loise" been?

You couldn't turn on your TV or radio in 93 and 94 without hearing Harry and Loise complaining about socialized medicine.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_and_Louise

[ThomWV]

9. True that.

they certainly got a good deal out of this, no question about it. "Mandate" says it all.

[pnwmom]

12. Maybe they didn't want to be so clearly identified with a particular ad this time.

Someone was funding lots of anti-HCR ads. Who was it?

[JTFrog]

10. Wrong.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2011300826_health10.html

Businesses to fight health bill with huge ad campaign

A coalition of organizations led by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce plans to spend as much as $1 million a day on advertisements designed to pressure lawmakers to vote "no" on health-care legislation.

By Seattle Times news services
Originally published March 9, 2010 at 8:09 PM | Page modified March 9, 2010 at 9:05 PM

WASHINGTON — A coalition of organizations led by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce plans to spend as much as $1 million a day on advertisements designed to pressure lawmakers to vote "no" on health-care legislation.

The campaign will last about 10 days and cost between $4 million and $10 million, said Bruce Josten, the Chamber's top lobbyist. The ad will start on cable television and then run in 17 states served by moderate and conservative Democrats, he said.

Separately, the health-insurance industry lobby America's Health Insurance Plans launched a $1 million-plus ad campaign on national cable TV. Proposed premium increases by insurers, in particular, have come under fire from President Obama in recent days as he tries to rally public support for the biggest changes to U.S. health care in 45 years.

AHIP funded Chamber of Commerce ads aimed at killing healthcare reform.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Health Insurers Funded Chamber Attack Ads
By Peter H. Stone

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

Updated at 10:30 am 1/13/10

Just as dealings with the Obama administration and congressional Democrats soured last summer, 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.

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.

....

Asked about the health-insurer funding for its ad blitz, the chamber's top lobbyist Bruce Josten said, "No comment. We never disclose funding or what we're going to do." However, after the story hit the blogosphere Tuesday, Josten confirmed the money transfer from AHIP to several news outlets.

AHIP originally did not return several calls requesting comment for this story. It supplied a written statement Tuesday evening after the story broke. "Reform needs to make health care more affordable, particularly for small businesses that struggle to provide coverage to their employees. We share the very serious concerns employers have raised about provisions that will increase health care costs, including new premium taxes that will hit small businesses hard. So when the employer community--our customers--asked us to contribute to their campaign, we readily agreed."

[izzybeans]

13. AHIP has been running this ad nationally. I'm sure you've seen it

http://www.ahip.org/ click the video on the banner.

The people pushing the line that this bill will drive up costs agree with the Health Insurance Lobby, that is their line.