A Web of Health Reform Opponents [1]
Submitted by Diane Farsetta [2] on
The industry group America's Health Insurance Plans [3] (AHIP) isn't just "sending thousands of its employees to town-hall meetings and other forums .... to try to counter a tide of criticism directed at the insurers," as the Wall Street Journal [4] reported recently. AHIP has retained the notorious Astroturf [5]ing firm Democracy Data & Communications [6] (DDC) to run its "grassroots" lobbying effort. AHIP's "grassroots outreach website AHIPAdvocacy.org is hosted on a server owned by DDC," reports Think Progress. Sitting on the same server are DDC-maintained "grassroots outreach websites for large health insurance companies," including Aetna [7] and Humana [8], along with sites for Altria [9] / Philip Morris and Koch Industries [10]. "DDC servers also host anti-health reform letters from the Chamber of Commerce [11] and Rep. Charles Boustany [12] (R-LA), as well as continual news updates about the reform debate." Another DDC-hosted site, EFCA-info.org, "is chock-full of misinformation regarding the Employee Free Choice Act [13]," which would make it easier for employees to join a union. The groups behind the anti-labor site include the Independent Women's Forum [14], HR Policy Association, U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and National Black Chamber of Commerce, reports a Think Progress "Wonk Room" piece [15].