A July 23 Daily Kos diary by "nyceve" noted that three medical correspondents -- Robert Bazell and Nancy Snyderman of NBC News and Susan Dentzer of PBS' NewsHour -- "all participate on the AHIP [America's Health Insurance Plans] Speakers Network." AHIP describes itself as "the voice of America's health insurers" and "the national association representing nearly 1,300 member companies providing health insurance coverage to more than 200 million Americans." Its board of directors consists mainly of insurance-company executives. A July 25 Roll Call article (subscription required) described AHIP as "the lobbying group for the health insurance industry." The Daily Kos diary also noted that none of the bios for the three journalists on the websites of NBC or PBS disclosed the journalists' roles with the AHIP Speakers Network. Each of the reporters was, indeed, listed on AHIP's website as part of its speakers network, but all three names have since been removed from the list.
You got that? Both of NBC News' health correspondents are literally paid by the health insurance companies. The freakin' reporter and the woman Brian Williams turns toward on NBC Nightly News to explain the import of this or that health news to us gets paid money to advance the insurance companies' agenda.
To spell that out for the healthcare debate, they're paid to oppose single payer health insurance and universal healthcare.
Amazing, then, is the fact that there's widespread, tremendous support for universal healthcare in spite of the great lengths insurance companies, HMO's, and Big Pharma have gone to in order to rig the debate in the media.
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