Yesterday, Ken Johnson at the Eagle-Tribune in Massachusetts, noticed something fishy going on with the letters to the editor his paper was receiving:
Across Massachusetts, senior citizens are writing letters to newspapers demanding that their representatives in Congress protect a form of health insurance called Medicare Advantage.
At least that's what newspaper editors are supposed to think.Some of those seniors are unaware that they have sent any such letters to newspapers. Some of them hadn't even heard of Medicare Advantage.
"I did not write a letter to the editor. It's not from me," said Gloria Gosselin, 75, of Lawrence.
Gosselin's name was on one of three strikingly similar letters touting the Medicare Advantage program that were sent to The Eagle-Tribune
It turns out, these letters came from the Dewey Square Group, a Boston-based political marketing and consulting firm, who has been hired by America's Health Insurance Plans, the insurance industry lobby, to fight against President Obama's plan to stop subsidizing private insurers through Medicare Advantage.
The Dewey Square Group has been using some extremely deceptive practices to get AHIP's message out:
A tip-off to the true origin of the letters came when The Eagle-Tribune received a call from a man who turned out to be an intern at the Boston office of the Dewey Square Group, a national political marketing and consulting firm.If the people sending these letters have never heard of the issue or the paper "their" letter was sent to, and if hired consultants are impersonating these people's relatives, it's clear these Americans are being used by AHIP to promote their fake grassroots campaign. Since AHIP paid the Dewey Square Group to run this campaign, and since a responsible signer of checks would have some idea of what their money is being used for, I think it's safe to assume AHIP had some idea of the tactics the Dewey Square Group is using here. I say it's safe to assume because at least up until now, AHIP has had no comment.
The man, who identified himself as Noah, wanted to know if Gloria Gosselin's letter had been published. Asked what interest he had in the letter, Noah replied that he was Gosselin's grandson.Gosselin does not have a grandson named Noah working in Boston. Her only grandson is a student at Central Catholic.
This is not the first time AHIP has engaged in astroturfing. Health Care for America Now activists confronted AHIP at the launch of its faux "listening tour" this summer, and the industry front group responded by altering its schedule and refusing to openly publicize future dates and times. We also exposed AHIP's hollow solicitation for consumer feedback with a video proving AHIP's toll free number went straight to voicemail and remained unanswered.
So, the question should be asked: Does the insurance industry, as represented by America's Health Insurance Plans, endorse using unsuspecting Americans in a fake grassroots campaign to combat a government giveaway that is in danger of being repealed? Are these the kind of tactics we can expect when the insurance industry tries to manufacture "grassroots" opposition to health care reform later this year?
The silence on the part of AHIP says all you and I need to know.
These things are done in a third world country.
Ooops! Guess it is a State Secret Privilege kind of case.
Sorry for asking.
If I were to hire some 'associates' to obtain some innocent third-party elderly names and addresses, without their knowledge or approval,
Then I were to instruct my 'associates' to obtain some form of insurance policies, say "a form of health insurance called Medicare Advantage", using those unknowing third-party elders identity information,
Then, my associates and I were to submit some bogus claims against those (fraudulenty obtained) policies,
And then pocket the 'proceeds' of those insurance policy payouts,
Well, that just might constitute a criminal conspiracy to perpetrate a 'Fraud', right.
A fraud that is usually prosecuted quite vigorously by DA's and departments in the HHS all the time.
What are they waiting for?
It isn't the best system, but it's all some of them have got. For all of your government giveaways... to keep seniors from having decent coverage for little cost (most very little or no monthly premium over the medicare part B, and includes D. More often than not these plans put an extra hundred or so a month back in the pocket of the senior. the deductable is less than the F suppliment and after that covers everything medicare does., well it's better than the nothing many would end up with, given the fact that our government won't fix the broken system. If they cannot afford the suppliment they'll end up with basic medicare and huge liabilities.
Disclaimer; I am licensed to give this info. I do sell them sometimes. I have seen the benefits they provide, and the peace of mind they provide and the money they save. We could still do better.
Advantage plans will bankrupt Seniors if they have a serious illness and have to go into the hospital; Medicare can do the same if the Senior doesn't select all of the parts. Seniors can put together a COMPREHENSIVE PLAN by selecting all of the parts that Medicare allows and there is no shame in Medicare; I don't know what you are talking about there.
When a Senior Selects or is suckered into a Medicare Advantage plan, they give up the right to a Medi-gap (also known as a Supplement Plan) which would cover the Senior's out of pocket cost.
The Advantage plans have high upfront cost for hospital stays, for example most of them have a $200 to 400 a day room cost for the first week or two and this repeats for each hospital stay. The average hospital stay is between one to two weeks. If a Senior goes into the hospital one week a year the cost for the room on these plans would be thousands of dallars more than the cost of the Medicare permium.
Medicare Part A is Free if the Senior has enough Social Security Work Credits and the hospital room cost from day one to sixty (60) is Zero (0). Seniors will have to pay the deductable and 20% coinsurance if they do not have the medi-gap.
What we need is President Obama plan for Universal Healthcare.
No house can stand without a firm foundation and neither can a country. All these scoundrels from Madoff to this group are like termites eating away at the country's foundation.
The States AG needs to go after these guys.
BTW, the paper in New Bedford is the Standard-Times. The Lawrence paper is the Eagle-Tribune. Since you quote a woman from Lawrence, I'm assuming it was the latter.
I think its pretty despicable to make up peoples names and say they wrote such a letter, that should be equal to libel