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August 27, 2009
The California insurer Anthem Blue Cross -- a subsidiary of the insurance giant WellPoint -- today blasted out an email to its customers, attacking the Democrats' health reform plans and asking customers to help fight them.
The email says legislation "does not meet our definition of responsible and sustainable reform and "would likely have a significant negative impact on our partners and customers."
The email warns the plan could wind up:
· Causing tens of millions of Americans to lose their private coverage and end up in a government-run plan;
· Limiting customers' choices of the products they can purchase and how they can purchase health coverage; and
Increasing the premiums of those with private coverage by imposing new mandates and coverage requirements.
The emails asks customers to "make your voice heard on this important issue by writing Congress and encouraging your elected officials to get health reform done -- and done right -- by acting in a bipartisan fashion to make health care more affordable, improve quality, and cover all Americans in a sustainable way."
The email directs customers to its "grassroots Web site" for instructions on contacting legislators. And WellPoint, which has some 33 million customers whom it surveyed on the subject in April, has access to a pretty large pool of citizens to persuade.
The health insurers "grassroots" online campaigns have already taken fire from the liberal site ThinkProgress.
Click here to read the full email.
