What Chutzpa! The four health insurance companies that control 71% of the California market today attacked Consumer Watchdog as “a special interest group.” Their press release below only acknowledges in the fine print that the attack is “Paid for by Anthem Blue Cross, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc., Health Net, Inc., and Blue Shield of California.”

The insurance companies are scared because we are on the road to qualify our ballot measure that forces them to publicly justify their rate hikes and lets the insurance commissioner reject unreasonable rates. Still, it’s Orwellian to see the big insurance companies hiding behind the lab coats of doctors and trying to smear a consumer group with a two-decade history of saving consumers tens of billions of dollars on their insurance bills.  

You can see the type of opposition we’re up against, and it’s only March. Think of what they’ll say and do between now and November.

Please help us remind Californians who is on their side and who is ripping them off every day. Donate now to the “Justify Rates” ballot measure campaign.

A report out today shows the health care industry generated $35.7 million in lobbyist spending in 2011, more than any other industry in California, and Kaiser was the largest spender at $3.5 million. Our ballot initiative would prohibit insurance companies like Kaiser from passing on lobbying expenditures to policyholders as premium increases, the same way current law prohibits auto and homeowners insurers from passing on those costs.

That’s why health insurance companies are scared and are willing to do anything to avoid regulation.

Will you make a contribution to the ballot measure campaign to fight back today?