Does the Health Insurance Industry Have Congress In Its Pocket?

No one ever talks about dismantling the Fire Department, Police Department, or Postal Service because they’re models of a scary socialist project. Why should healthcare be any different? Quite simply, the health insurance industry stands in the way. And as the Real News Network reports, they’ve been lobbying hard to make sure that a for profit system of care remains the law of the land. But labor, single payer advocates, and Americans who want basic healthcare are pushing back.

“We believe the health insurance industry is trying to buy their way onto the table with health care reform,” says Carmen Balber of Consumer Watchdog at a protest against the American Health Insurance Plans’ 2009 Policy Forum. “We see this in two big points,” she goes on to explain, “one which is a mandate that would require individuals to purchase private health insurance… and secondly we know the insurance industry is trying to block any sort of public option for the American people. They don’t want the competition, so we’re here to call out the insurance industry for trying to buy Congress’ position.”

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This article is from GRITtv.