Waxman insurance probe began in July

[kpete]

Source: Politico


Waxman insurance probe began in July
Politico

Chris Frates Chris Frates – Fri Aug 21, 11:33 pm ET

House Energy and Commerce Chairman Henry Waxman raised eyebrows this week when he launched a financial probe into the nation’s largest insurance companies, which are at the center of the health reform battle.

Now POLITICO has learned that Waxman’s recent investigation began almost a month earlier than previously thought — with letters to the insurance industry’s powerful trade group and its consultant regarding grassroots tactics.

A committee spokeswoman defended the probes — saying lawmakers need to know that private insurance money is being spent effectively as part of the effort to control costs. But the trade group, America’s Health Insurance Plans, is crying foul, saying Waxman is merely trying to bring it in line behind his version of the health reform bill.

“Congressional oversight is not a tool that should be used to chill dissent,” said AHIP spokesman Robert Zirkelbach. “These investigations are nothing more than politically motivated, taxpayer-financed fishing expeditions designed to intimidate and silence health plans.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20090822/pl_politico/2...

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I'm getting a feeling that the untold--and developing--story of this health care debate is that when Waxman was forced to push through an imperfect bill with the Blue Dogs on his committee, when he got stuck in negotiations with Rahm just before the break, he realized he was getting screwed. And, lucky for us, he was in a position to do something about it, to prepare for the fight that will come in September

http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/08/22/waxmans-me...

[babylonsister]

1. Waxman and Rockefeller are going after the insurance industry

for a reason. I love it. This could change the whole dialogue. Fingers crossed!

[Hekate]

2. Well, well, well... The Waxman cometh...

There are wheels within wheels and we will not know know how it ends until it's over -- if then.

Meanwhile, Mr. Waxman, stay out of small planes.

Hekate

[Wapsie B]

3. Let's hope that unlike impeachment this actually gets somewhere.

[MarjorieG]

4. Everything is rumor and FDL has sights on Rahm non-stop. Don't know if it's compromising or getting

ducks in a row, getting companies on board (give a little get a little and pass a huge lift of health care reform quickly-promise to control GOP toadies), or they have not been good faith in this. Like who'd expect this, not both sharpies like Obama and Rahm. But I have to wonder about a particular rumor that AHIP were once on board with a public option at deal time, but now definitely not.

[caseymoz]

5. Chill dissent? If there's real dissent it wouldn't be going on without insurance money.

At most, granting organizations money should make their voices louder. I think what's happening here is, (as with Conservative "dissent" on many issues) that the "dissenting" organization itself is always founded with industry funds and it's not supported even one percent by the dues of actual members. The "ordinary" members themselves are either paid shills, pawns, or propaganda robots.

It's a tactic used by the CIA. There's always somebody who will show up and work for your political cause for the right price. Unfortunately, these tend to be the most corrupt and immoral people.

Off topic, but it's like Rush Limbaugh. I am one hundred percent certain that he's paid above and below the table for his message.

[lsewpershad]

6. How

Can these bloodsuckers call what they are doing dissent and not terrorism? Hopefully sooner than later the day of reckoning for these creeps will come.

[caseymoz]

8. It's misinformation and disinformation.

They've aimed it at people who are basically alienated from the political process, and who have been groomed by years of general conservative propaganda. The fact is, these people were led to believe that government programs aimed at improving conditions were a form of Nazism to begin with (where they should check with a reputable history book to confirm it). They also believed that any taxes that they found difficult could only be the greatest violation of their liberty short of being in a concentration camp. Really, the fight against health care reform is being fought by people who have been groomed in this way, for years.

The problem is not so much that these people listen to it, but that they don't listen to anything else, and they trust all other sources. They have let the purveyors of this propaganda convince isolate them from most other sources. It's the "entertainment" aspect that keeps tuning into Limbaugh or Beck.

So, when health care was getting ready to be debated, what did Glen Beck do but start the Tea Party movement. There's no coincidence to the way it was coordinated, or the way the Tea Partiers turn out to be the very same people exposed directly to health care industry lies. They are the ones showing up to these meetings.

[Piewhacket]

13. Interesting insights. nt

[caseymoz]

14. Correction, second paragraph should read "they distrust all other sources." nt

[PSPS]

9. Yes, I noticed that framing too. But this is from Politico, which explains it.

The only true "dissent" is from the companies whose rigging and milking of the current system allows them to reap enormous sums of money to finance their lavish lifestyles. The spectacle being fed to the TEE VEE propaganda box is theater entirely financed by these same companies.

[caseymoz]

15. What we're seeing with the health care debate

is the use of a conservative propaganda apparatus that they have been building for years. They make sure that their audiences perception of their interests is always something that favors industry. Reforming health care? These Nazis want to kill Mom. (You will note at least Nazi is a bad thing as far as they are concerned). Regulating the finance industry? They are raising your taxes, a violation of your rights, and destroying jobs. What government could know better than you how to spend your money? What government regulator can know finance better than the investment banks that make money at it?

You wonder why, after all these years, Limbaugh doesn't appear to learn anything. I mean, it's one thing to start out ignorant about something like global warming, but he hasn't yet showed signs that he has really bothered to study it to any extent to correct really any major fact. He doesn't want to learn anything. Why? It hurts business. As soon as he changes his view on Global Warming, his sponsors (above and below the table, see below) will shrivel and his audience will shrink away.

Why is that? Because he's nothing but a professional propagandist, and he was a total failure before he became one. It's his job to take the insane, the stupid, and the idiotic and make it sound sane and reasonable. In doing this, I'll accuse Limbaugh of having sponsors both above and beneath the table. I'll put money on the scenario that his anti-reform campaign started with the health care industry sending him, or his management, a train car full of money. It's not that he has any great objection to what he says, though. He's careful not to let himself think along those lines.

When you listen to Limbaugh, notice how repetitious he is. He repeats memes again and again. He'll say "Obama's teleprompter said . . ." ten times an hour. A law of propaganda: repeat.

The CIA's propaganda campaigns with Radio Free Europe, Voice of America, (not the most egregious examples, but the best known CIA propaganda media fronts) and some examples of stations set up to give the illusion of a political rebellion before they'd mount a coup, shows that if you have enough money, you could always find some extremely unethical person to make the undermining of democracy sound absolutely good, or to make a moderate, centrist government sound like Hitler's second coming, no matter how well it was working when you started.

I remember tuning into Limbaugh and hearing it being introduced as "Radio Free America." I really think that was an inside joke. I've noticed they've stopped saying it.

This is what's happening now. We're fighting a very organized propaganda apparatus, with tentacles reaching much wider than Fox. It's the main reason why Republicans have been able to frame the debate so successfully after such an abject election loss.

And it was all done under the auspices of a free market.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

7. Robert Zirkelbach -- may you find yourself cleaning sewage pipes with your tongue

“Congressional oversight is not a tool that should be used to chill dissent,” said AHIP spokesman Robert Zirkelbach. “These investigations are nothing more than politically motivated, taxpayer-financed fishing expeditions designed to intimidate and silence health plans."

licking up sewage would be appropriate, since it issues forth from your mouth so freely.

Disgusting people.

GOOOOOOOOOO!!!! Senator Waxman. (The Waxman cometh...good one!)

[defendandprotect]

10. About time we had some political pressure on the insurance crooks -- !!!

[Frank Booth]

11. Nice how Politico presents an industry trade group as an objective source.

What passes for news these days . . .

[joeycola]

12. good to see this

[Scruffy1]

16. Energy and Commerce

Indeed there appears to be something afoot. There is enough criminality in the health insurance business to put a lot of execs behind bars. With many years of paying protection to the congressional mobsters they have gotten fat and sloppy, not even bothering to cover their tracks. A little blackmail could go a long way. Not to name names but practically the whole GOP in the senate and many Dems in the senate have been taking money unde3r thee table. Because enough Dems are guilt no one will get into trouble, but Henry could apply great pressure on health care from where he sits. If he moves too slow like Conyers it will be a waste of effort. Go like hell Henry.