Health Care For America Now

New TV Ad, Online Campaign, & Grassroots Protests Target Health Insurance CEOs Living in Luxury While Insured Go Bankrupt

***See the ad CNN network refuses to air here: HealthCareforAmericaNow.org/Mansion ***
(includes b-roll ready :15 version)

Washington, DC – Health Care for America Now (HCAN) – the nation’s largest health care campaign – launched the next phase in its ongoing “Sick of It” anti-insurance push today, focusing on rich health insurance CEOs making millions and living in luxury while middle class families are struggling to pay medical bills, going bankrupt,  and losing their homes. Last Tuesday, thousands of activists participated in more than 150 anti-insurance company protests nationwide. Health Care for America Now’s message is simple:  “If the insurance companies win, you lose.”

ON TELEVISION:

The new television ad titled “Mansion” juxtaposes the home of UnitedHealth’s excessively wealthy CEO Stephen Hemsley – who makes $57,000 an hour – with an average middle class family home in foreclosure which represents the 62% of bankruptcies caused by medical debt.  The $1 million ad buy will air for two weeks on national MSNBC and on local broadcast and cable television in DC, Maine, Philadelphia, and Minneapolis.

National CNN has refused to air this advertisement because it identifies a specific health care CEO by name.

“Stephen Hemsley and health insurance executives like him are making Wall Street-driven decisions that affect other people’s lives in very real way. It’s time we stopped sugar-coating the truth. The health insurance industry’s relentless pursuit of corporate profits is destroying people’s lives,” said Richard Kirsch, National Campaign Manager, Health Care for America Now. “We’re urging Congress to pass legislation that provides good, affordable coverage for middle class families with the choice of a strong national public health insurance option. It’s time to break the stranglehold private, for-profit health insurance companies have on our families and our businesses.”

ON THE GROUND:

At the same time, Health Care for America Now partners in Philadelphia, Indianapolis, and Minneapolis are making sure their message really hits home. To correspond with the launch of the “Mansion” ad, grassroots organizers in Minneapolis will drive a moving van to the home of UnitedHealth CEO Stephen Hemsley and show “Mansion” outside his residence. A moving van will also make its way to WellPoint CEO Angela Braly’s home in Indianapolis. And in Philadelphia, Cigna customer Stacie Ritter will visit the home of Cigna CEO H. Edward Hanway to ask him for the help his company won’t provide.  Ritter’s twin girls were afflicted with cancer at the age of four, and Cigna refuses to cover the human growth hormone treatments her daughters need to grow properly.

Stacie Ritter was bankrupted by a combination of high COBRA payments and out of pocket expenses when her husband suffered a brief period of unemployment. She continues to suffer financial hardship due to Cigna’s inadequate coverage. For example, she is charged a co-payment of $440 every time she takes her children for follow up treatments with specialists at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Ms. Ritter also worries that as her children get older, Cigna will deny them the additional treatments they will need to live full lives as curing their cancer severely damaged their pituitary glands. Stacie Ritter’s story also drives HCAN’s extensive online campaign.

ONLINE:

Health Care for America Now continues its bold online campaign with the largest YouTube pre-roll buy by anyone thus far, blanketing Washington, DC so that most everyone in the District who watches a video on YouTube.com - including lawmakers and staff on Capitol Hill - will see a :15 version of “Mansion.”

***See the landing page here: www.SickofIt.net***

Thursday morning, a link on the bottom of the abbreviated ad takes users to a landing page featuring Stacie Ritter’s story.  In the afternoon, the landing page will feature video from Ms. Ritter’s visit to the home of Cigna CEO H. Edward Hanway where she will ask Mr. Hanway if she can move into the carriage house of his Main Line mansion - one of three homes he owns that together are worth nearly $15 million. Cigna made $7.7 billion in profits from 2000-2008, and Mr. Hanway’s compensation of $124 million during that period is, in part, a product of business practices that deny people the medical care they need. 

Twitter users can follow along using #sickofit, and Facebook users can change their status to read, “UnitedHealth's CEO Stephen Hemsley makes $57k/hour. Stacie Ritter went bankrupt due to medical bills. Watch: http://sickofit.net #sickofit.”

“Mansion” script:

Video        

Fade up on image of Stephen Hemsley’s mansion. SUPER: Home of UnitedHealth CEO Stephen Hemsley

Slowly push in on image.  SUPER:  In 2009, Hemsley will be paid $57,000 an hour.

Snap pan to a stock shot of a small, middle-class home.

Freeze image of house, cut to black and white and snap in tight.  Add SUPER: 62% of personal bankruptcies are caused by medical debt.

Snap pan in opposite direction back to Hemsley mansion with still of Hemsley superimposed over it.  

Snap pan in opposite direction to the modest home.  A FORECLOSED sign is revealed in the foreground.

Cut to black screen with white type:  If the insurance companies win, you lose.

Transition to white screen with HCAN logo, website and SUPER:  Tell Congress:  We need good health care we can afford with the choice of a public health insurance option.   

Audio

A health insurance CEO lives here.

According to the Hennepin County Assessor's web site, Stephen and Barbara Hemsley are the owners of this home, located at 622 Ferndale Rd. W., Wayzata, MN.

This year he’ll make $57,000 an hour.

(Citation: Stephen Hemsley has sold securities worth $127,001,281 in 2009. http://www.secform4.com/insider-trading/1180162.htm

Excluding securities sold to meet a tax liability, Hemsley received $84,497,130 from the transaction.
Sources: http://www.secform4.com/insider-trading/1180162.htm and http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/731766/000119312509085253/ddef14a.htm

Based on a five-day work week and 185 working days in 2009 as of September 16th, and excluding the securities sold to meet the tax liability, he made $456,741 per day. Working eight hours per day, he made $57,092 per hour.)

Another family used to live here…before they filed for bankruptcy.

62% of personal bankruptcies are caused by medical debt. 

(Citation: Of all personal bankruptcies in America, 62 percent are medically related. David Himmelstein, et al. “Medical Bankruptcy in the United States, 2007: Results of a National Study,” American Journal of Medicine, August 2007. Accessed at http://www.pnhp.org/new_bankruptcy_study/Bankruptcy-2009.pdf)

This man is living his dream…

…while this family lives a nightmare.

If the insurance companies win, you lose.

We need good health care we can afford with the choice of a public health insurance option.