Onward HMO Soldiers, Marching as to War

First of all, if you haven't yet read Bill's post from yesterday, "How long will we allow The Market to decide to let teens die?", please do. Because that serves as a pretty stark backdrop to this bit of news: Insurance industry forming activist army.

Ahead of the approaching health care reform storm, the insurance industry is building an ark: a nationwide education campaign aimed at raising an activist army at least 100,000 strong.

The unprecedented effort by America’s Health Insurance Plans, called the Campaign for an American Solution, includes a nationwide listening tour, advertising and an intense recruitment effort aimed at signing up Americans who are satisfied with their private insurance coverage.

…By giving voice to the customers who benefit from their products, the campaign completes an employer-insurer-consumer lobbying trifecta that has been taking shape inside the Beltway.

…The massive outreach is AHIP's attempt to drive debate in a political climate that has had the industry on the defensive since Democrats took control of Congress last year.

For no good reason, given that the Democrats are too spineless to propose universal healthcare that isn't run through the goddamned insurance companies, anyway. And what is the cost of this campaign to convince Americans that their healthcare should remain a hostage in the hands of the insurance companies?

The group would not disclose the costs of its efforts, but Tuffin said it's the most expensive campaign the industry has launched in the past decade, with "unprecedented" spending on grass roots and outreach.

"We're going to spend the resources necessary to make sure that we hear the American people and the American people hear us," Tuffin said.

So even as the insurance companies are already turning down life-saving care to their current customers as a "cost saving measure," they're going to be spending "unprecedented" amounts of money on a campaign to prove what totally awesome care providers they are.

Leaving aside from the breathtaking irony, anyone else see a problem with that?

Countdown until denied procedures skyrocket because the "unprecedented" campaign is cutting into profits in 5…4…3…2…