Sep/090
I’m Gonna Shut You Down ..
Humana’s Letter Regarding Health Care Reform
Last week, Humana Inc., a private medical insurance company, sent a letter to its Medicare enrollees claiming that health reform proposals could hurt “millions of seniors and disabled individuals” who “could lose many of the important benefits and services that make Medicare Advantage plans so valuable.”
The company issued this letter in response to health care reform proposals that would directly cut payments to Medicare Advantage plans by an estimated $123 billion over 10 years and indirectly reduce funding for those plans by another $15.6 billion, according to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office. In response to the mailing, the Department of Health and Human Services wrote Humana last week instructing it to stop the mailings. The department also wrote to all companies that offer Medicare Advantage plans on Monday, chastising them for saying anything contrary to the administration and suggesting that “such communications are potentially contrary to…federal law.”
I feel that Humana was well within its rights to send out a policy piece explaining what could happen under one of the health care reform bills. I think that Humana is being used as an example to prevent other insurance companies from sending similar mailings that include content perceived to be negative toward the health care proposals in Washington. The action by HHS is contrary to the First Amendment of the Constitution that allows for free speech. Both the government and the people have the right to speak freely, and it was inappropriate for Humana to be condemned for doing its job, which is to keep its policy holders informed. The issue has been raised with the administration by Republicans and a letter has been sent to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius requesting the department to lift its’ ‘gag order,’ and I am hopeful that the problem will be corrected.