America's Health Insurance Plans Launches Campaign To Organize Residents Satisfied With Private Health Insurance

Main Category: Health Insurance / Medical Insurance
Article Date: 21 Jul 2008 - 2:00 PDT

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America's Health Insurance Plans on Tuesday launched a campaign to organize at least 100,000 U.S. residents who are satisfied with their private health insurance in an "attempt to drive debate in a political climate that has had the industry on the defensive since Democrats took control of Congress last year," The Politico reports. The Campaign for an American Solution will include a blog; e-mail and mail outreach; and online, radio, television and print advertising that will begin to appear next week in Washington, D.C., area newspapers. Field organizers for the campaign will organize volunteers and work with local leaders in as many as 20 states.

In addition, the campaign will include roundtable discussions with union members, working families, religious and community leaders, and small-business owners and employees. AHIP spokesperson Michael Tuffin said that the roundtable discussions will allow health insurers to obtain feedback on their health care reform proposals. AHIP did not disclose the cost of the campaign. However, Tuffin said that the campaign is the most expensive launched by AHIP in the last 10 years, with "unprecedented" spending on outreach.

Tuffin said, "On an issue as big and far-reaching as health care reform, you need to be working with real people and you need to have a reach outside the Beltway," adding, "The issue isn't going to be settled just by lobbyists in Washington. The American people are going to have their say."

Implications
According to The Politico, the campaign is an "acknowledgement that spiraling costs are threatening its business models," and health insurers "hope that hitting the road and starting a fan club will help lawmakers better understand the value of their products."

Republican health care strategist Phil Blando said, "What you're seeing is the alignment of the key constituencies for building and strengthening the employer-based system."

Democratic health care strategist Chris Jennings said, "There will be a mix of cynicism and hope in reaction" to the campaign, adding, "To a large degree, the onus will be on the health plans to be a constructive force. I think they get this, but the proof will be in the pudding" (Frates, The Politico, 7/16).

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