The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services launched an investigation into Humana Inc.’s effort to enlist beneficiaries to fight proposed cuts to Medicare’s private plans.
The investigation, launched Friday, is looking at whether Humana, one of the largest providers of Medicare Advantage plans, violated marketing rules by sending letters to beneficiaries in Michigan, Florida and other states urging them to contact lawmakers to register their opposition to proposed cuts.
The letters state that “millions of seniors and disabled individuals could lose many of the important benefits and services that make Medicare Advantage health plans so valuable” — a claim congressional Democrats say is false.
CMS is also examining Humana’s online Partner program, which automatically drafts letters that people can send to their lawmakers opposing cutbacks. Officials on Friday requested that the company stop the mailings and shut down the Web site.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D., Mont.) — whose proposal to overhaul the health-care system would cut payments to Advantage plans by $123 billion over 10 years — pushed for the investigation.
“[Humana's] tactics do a disservice to beneficiaries by spreading false claims about such an important bill in Congress,” said Erin Shields, a spokeswoman for Sen. Baucus. “Cutting the fat from the profits of private health plans that deliver Medicare is the best way to ensure the sustainability of the program and preserve the Medicare benefits seniors depend upon.”
When Obama was allowed to occupy the Oval Office.
When this country voted capitalism out and fascism in.
Time for Humana to tell the investigators to go pound sand
“violated marketing rules”
Find who made these rules, and when and you’ll have your answer. But, something tells me those rules were not created in the last 8 months.
This is a huge 1st amendment issue – but Humana will cave because they have a big Medigap insurance business.
It’s frightening how quickly our rights are disappearing. I think Erin Shields should outline exactly how these are false claims, when the CBO has said they’re true.
The Supreme Court has ruled that an individual (corporation) is not protected under the 1st Amendment for acts such as shouting “fire” in a crowded theater.
While I disagree with the CMS’ decision, I think the justice department should look into prosecuting Humana for unncessarily causing panic based on false information.
Since Obama began his run for the Presidency the Democrats have been in a rush to silence real political debate. It has been their mod us operandi for over a century. Woodrow wilson had hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians jailed and interrogated, he imprisoned political opponents such as Eugene Debs. FDR acted in much the same way during WW2 . And now we come to OBAMA same song different dance , this is nothing new they have done it and got away with it for decades.
Very much correct. Above all else, it’s a violation of “Freedom of Speech”.
That liberal inconvenience just happens to be allowed by the 1st Amendment. It won’t be long until we hear the loons on the Left cry “Fairness Doctrine” again…
I’m glad that free market health insurance companies are fighting back against our nose-where-it-doesn’t-belong-government. The free market is the enemy in liberals’ minds. They are desparate for precious government to control every aspect of their lives.
January 21, 2009. Around noon.
It’s not a freedom of speech issue. Corporations do not have the same protections under the 1st Amendment that you and I do.
And they’re not ‘exposing the truth’, they are trying to save their profits by spreading lies about pending legislation at the taxpayer’s expense. Humana receives BILLIONS of dollars in Medicare funding, so they shouldn’t be using some of that money for partisan politics.
When it goes against Obamas efforts to take over health care.
Humana, as one of the largest providers of Medicare Advantage plans, is receiving payments by the Federal government to provide medical service. They should not be using taxpayer dollars for anything but providing medical services, that includes sending out political propaganda.
Why would you want to protect the right of a for profit company to spread lies about specific legislation that stands to cut into their profit margins?
They do have a word for that, and its called slander, and yes you can be sued for that.
It became illegal the day The Democrats won the House of Representatives, the Senate and the White House…
It will only get worse, for civil disobedience is only tolerated under the Republican Rule of Congress…
Democrats squeal like a “pig” when they are not in power…and squeal even louder when they are in Power…