Things are not going well on the AHIP - America's Health Insurance Plans (we feel your pain) tour of our battered nation.

Karen Ignagni the CEO of the health insurance lobbyist AHIP was taped yesterday in Ohio.

Ms. Ignagni carefuly explained that profit is the guiding principle of AHIP, the for-profit insurance industry, and tragically, the entire U.S. healthcare system.  

She says, "no margin, no mission".

This is a bad day for AHIP, because their leader/CEO, Karen Ignagni, told the truth, probably for the first time in her life.

Isn't the first rule of politics, don't tell the truth? Well, she fumbled, badly.

Take a listen. I've provided a decent transcript of some of the tape.

Also posted on   Guaranteed Healthcare. Come to the new Guaranteed Healthcare blog and describe your healthcare and insurance horror stories.

So you're uninsured.

But like so many, you're hanging in because in a few years, you'll be eligible for Medicare.

Help has arrived.

I'm actually choking up as I write this.

Some of you know that last Thursday, June 19th was a nationwide day of action against the for-profit health insurance industry.

I was in San Francisco where AHIP was holding its annual convention.

I marched with the heroes from the California Nurses Association. CNA took the lead in organizing the protests nationwide.

Thousands of Americans are assembling today at 12 noon today outside the Moscone West Convention Center in San Francisco. We're here to demonstrate against AHIP and for single-payer healthcare in the United States--what the rest of the civilized world accepts as normal.

AHIP is the chief lobbyist of the for profit Murder By Spreadsheet insurance industry.

It's the first time AHIP has held its annual convention and been greeted with thousands of outraged Americans. We're going to give them a hearty welcome to the City by the Bay.

We're here because AHIP is a parasitic organization whose only purpose is to take money and destroy lives. Before the day ends, AHIP will know it can no longer waltz into a great American city unchallenged.  We will fight AHIP wherever it goes. And ultimately the American people will get guaranteed and affordable single-payer healthcare.

May I  tell you about some wonderful people who are here to join the protest.

UPDATE:  I was just advised that the The Courage Campaign has a petition asking McAuliffe not to appear at the AHIP gathering. Please take one minute to sign it.  

Yes, that Terry McAuliffe, the former chairman of the Democratic National Committee.

But before I tell you what Terry's up to, you might be amused to know that I applied for press credentials to cover the health insurance industry depravity which will unfold next week in San Francisco. All I wanted to do was write about Terry's speech and to let you know what AHIP is planning in the year ahead.  The bastards turned me down, with a curt one sentence email from Robert Zirkelbach, one of the press flacks from AHIP.

I'm going to give you a new term for the American healthcare system, courtesy of Rose Ann DeMoro the executive director hero of The California Nurses Association. PAY OR DIE.

Please keep in mind PAY OR DIE or MURDER BY SPREADSHEET as you read.

It's long overdue that America hang its head in shame.

It's long overdue that the political class come to the American people pleading for forgiveness.

This morning in a massive and lengthy lead editorial, The New York Times actually uses the word shame (have they been reading the Daily Kos health catastrophe diaries?) to describe our merciless, depraved and cockroach infested healthcare system.

Yesterday I spent a lot of time writing a diary about an article in the New York Times which was a follow up to the diary I wrote last week about the three journalists on the AHIP speakers bureau.

This is a story the truth about AHIP (America's health Insurance Plans). This outfit is the trade association and lobbying lying machine for the for-profit insurance industry.

AHIP lives to fight another battle against the American people--every one of us--and for the perpetuation of the private insurance industry.