Thread: ABC News Refusing to Air Opposing Ads During Obama's Health Care Special

Fox caught with its pants down on ABC attacks
by Jed Lewison


Thu Jun 18, 2009 at 01:03:59 PM PDT

As Think Progress noted, despite Fox's whining about ABC's upcoming special on health care reform which will include a town hall conducted in the White House, it turns out that when George W. Bush was President, Fox did exactly what they are accusing ABC of.

Here's a video mashup of what Fox is saying now -- and what it reported then, including footage from its fawning specials on both Bush and Cheney.



It's just another reminder you can never believe a single word that comes out of the mouth of Sean Hannity, Karl Rove -- or anyone else at Fox for that matter.

Update, 1:10PM: And don't forget, as Al Rodgers commented, Fox televised a McCain Town Hall last June -- in which McCain handpicked the audience. They are the GOP Network indeed. That's fine...as long as they are treated like any other opinion or advocacy group. --Jed

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ABC "All Barack Channel"

Sounds to me like they won't except advertising on either side of the debate, not just the views opposing B.O's.....

How's this for another reason why a public option or national health isurance is mandatory. Will any Op-Ed piece talk about the practice of recission?

Lawmakers ask three executives if they'll stop dropping customers except where they can show "intentional fraud." All say no.

Executives of three of the nation's largest health insurers told federal lawmakers in Washington on Tuesday that they would continue canceling medical coverage for some sick policyholders, despite withering criticism from Republican and Democratic members of Congress who decried the practice as unfair and abusive.

The hearing on the controversial action known as rescission, which has left thousands of Americans burdened with costly medical bills despite paying insurance premiums, began a day after President Obama outlined his proposals for revamping the nation's healthcare system.
An investigation by the House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations showed that health insurers WellPoint Inc., UnitedHealth Group and Assurant Inc. canceled the coverage of more than 20,000 people, allowing the companies to avoid paying more than $300 million in medical claims over a five-year period.

It also found that policyholders with breast cancer, lymphoma and more than 1,000 other conditions were targeted for rescission and that employees were praised in performance reviews for terminating the policies of customers with expensive illnesses.

"No one can defend, and I certainly cannot defend, the practice of canceling coverage after the fact," said Rep. Michael C. Burgess (R-Tex.), a member of the committee. "There is no acceptable minimum to denying coverage after the fact."

The executives -- Richard A. Collins, chief executive of UnitedHealth's Golden Rule Insurance Co.; Don Hamm, chief executive of Assurant Health and Brian Sassi, president of consumer business for WellPoint Inc., parent of Blue Cross of California -- were courteous and matter-of-fact in their testimony.
snip
An investigation by the House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations showed that health insurers WellPoint Inc., UnitedHealth Group and Assurant Inc. canceled the coverage of more than 20,000 people, allowing the companies to avoid paying more than $300 million in medical claims over a five-year period.

It also found that policyholders with breast cancer, lymphoma and more than 1,000 other conditions were targeted for rescission and that employees were praised in performance reviews for terminating the policies of customers with expensive illnesses.

"No one can defend, and I certainly cannot defend, the practice of canceling coverage after the fact," said Rep. Michael C. Burgess (R-Tex.), a member of the committee. "There is no acceptable minimum to denying coverage after the fact."

The executives -- Richard A. Collins, chief executive of UnitedHealth's Golden Rule Insurance Co.; Don Hamm, chief executive of Assurant Health and Brian Sassi, president of consumer business for WellPoint Inc., parent of Blue Cross of California -- were courteous and matter-of-fact in their testimony.

..http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-rescind17-

It happens, I see it all the time, I diagnose a cancer ( one guy with burkitts lymphoma) five visits later find out the insurance is not going to pay any of the five visits that led up to and including treatment of his cancer, we get hosed ......

It's sad when the thought of getting a disease and dying doesn't scare someone as much as going into debt because of it....