According to CSAction, snively congressman Doug Lamborn has sent out 70,000 mailers, billed to the taxpayer, to disseminate the insurance biz wingnut falsehoods about health care reform. He’s hoping to reconstitute a teabagger assembly at a public meeting on Thursday evening, August 27, at the Valley Hi Golf Course on Colorado Springs’ Southeast side. Get there early with YOUR message. 5PM, Chelton and Airport. The anti-tax teabaggers hate standing next to signs that don’t represent them, so think of some slogans that do. How about: DO UNTO OTHERS, or
FAITH HOPE CHARITY, or “as you did to the least of My brethren,
you did it to Me.” -Matt 25:40
CSAction has posted talking points and updates. Here are Mark’s arguments:
Representative Doug Lamborn has just sent out an estimated 70,000 mailers “prepared, published and mailed at taxpayer expense” that are full of LIES and disinformation about the healthcare reform bills. It’s only estimated to be 70,000 because, when asked about the total number mailed, LAMEborn’s Communications Director Catherine Mortensen, “I have the figures, but I don’t have the authority to give them to you.”
Actually they don’t have the authority to withhold that information because it’s public record, given that this pack of LIES was “prepared, published and mailed at taxpayer expense.”
The mailer says “114 million could lose their current health care coverage under the bill”. This is a LIE!
This absurd figure comes from “The Impact of the House Health Reform Legislation Coverage and Provider Incomes,” by the Lewin Group. The Lewin Group is a “research” and management consulting (lobbyist) firm owned entirely by the second largest health insurer in the nation, UnitedHealth Group.
Furthermore, the “research” does NOT show 114 million LOOSING healthcare but CHANGING insurers, AND an additional 9.4 million being insured that are not now. It’s a total guess as to how many would change over to the public plan, if offered. The 114 million was a figure the Lewin Group published in June, which they revised DOWN to 88.1 million in July, so it’s not even their most current LIE.
The Congressional Budget Office came to a different conclusion, saying that enrollment in the House Democrats’ proposed public plan would total 11 million to 12 million people.
The Lewin Group is part of Ingenix, a wholly-owned UnitedHealth subsidiary that was accused by the New York attorney general and the American Medical Association of helping insurers shift medical expenses to consumers by distributing skewed data. Ingenix supplied UnitedHealth and other insurers with data that allegedly understated the “reasonable and customary” doctor fees that insurers use to determine how much they will reimburse consumers for out-of-network care.
In January, United Health agreed to a $350 million settlement with the AMA, and a $50 million settlement with the New York attorney general, covering conduct going back as far as 1994, when they were distributing skewed information to fight President Clinton’s healthcare reforms.
Next LIE in this mailer: “4.7 million jobs that could be lost as a result of tax hikes on small businesses”.
This absurd figure comes from an op-ed piece written by House minority leader John Boehner, who admitted to distributing bribes from Big Tobacco on the floor of the House. He says got the figures according to the methodology developed by Christina Romer, the chair of the Council of Economic Advisers in the Obama administration. She NEVER said such a thing, and he obviously he doesn’t understand her methodology.
“The current healthcare system does not work well for small businesses.”
“They pay about 18% more for comparable coverage than a big firm, and that puts them at a competitive disadvantage.”
“Healthcare reform is ABSOLUTELY aimed at easing those burdens.”
“The plan has a tax credit for small businesses.”
Watch her entire statement here.
Lewin Group Vice President John Sheils admits 114 million would NOT lose their employer-sponsored coverage AND they wouldn’t be forced into a government-run health plan. Rather, they would be able to choose between the government plan and other private options, through the exchange, and “they might very well be better off,” he said.
But not all of the firm’s corrupt reports see the light of day. For example, a study for the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association was never released, Sheils said.
“Let’s just say, sometimes studies come out that don’t show exactly what the client wants to see. And in those instances, they have [the] option to bury the study — to not release it, rather,” Sheils said.
CSaction reminds everyone present to be peaceful in word and action and not behave like the industry stooges disrupting town halls and shouting down citizens.
Mayhaps we could get somebody from Catholic Charities to work this, but since the poorer quarters (where the ragged people go, looking for the places only they would know…) were pretty deliberately and grossly un-invited to the event,
The last city bus runs out there at 6:30. None on Saturday or Sunday. That’s pretty blatant. “sure, the poor can come out, get harrassed, then walk back to town through hostile territory” why not recruit people from the Soup Kitchen, lay it out for them exactly what the insult is about. That Lamborn and company don’t want them to show up for their private / slash / publicly funded / slash / Private Photo-op session.
Say, wasn’t there a time when one waited until AFTER leaving public office before becoming a paid lobbyist?
Catholic Charities has done stuff like this before, arranging transportation and private security for field trips.
And have the college radio, PBS and the Indy tag along for the ride.
Canadian Peter actually got a glowing write-up in the Gagzette and their FreshInk puppet-paper. Just saying is all.
I can think of a couple of people right off who would enjoy the opportunity to take their turns at the mike saying “Mr Lamborn, what were you thinking holding a public meeting at a Country Club where only a handpicked few were supposed to show up? Is you completely lost yo’ MIND?”