Insurance companies dumped millions into anti-reform ads

Health insurers quietly funneled millions of dollars to the Chamber of Commerce to pay for ads attacking health reform, National Journal reported recently.

The insurance industry's trade association and lobbying arm, America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) hit up the largest for-profit insurers to chip in to the Chamber's efforts to help sink reform, according to the report.  And the big insurance companies - Aetna, Cigna, Humana, UnitedHealth and WellPoint - each ponied up a seven-figure contribution.

At the same time it was collecting millions to block reform legislation, AHIP was saying publicly that it supported reform.  AHIP disguised its own role in funding the ads, passing the money through the Chamber of Commerce, to avoid backlash, one lobbying source told National Journal.

Apart from the millions they've been quietly slipping to the Chamber of Commerce, the insurers have also been lavishing big bucks on lobbying - including $4.7 million last year by WellPoint and $4.5 million by United Health, according to The Hill.

All this serves as a reminder of who benefits from the status quo - and it isn't ordinary consumers and patients.