May 25, 2007
Schwarzenegger assails health ad
Mike Zapler
MediaNews Sacramento Bureau
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, appearing in Sunnyvale on Thursday with dozens of high-tech executives, accused the state's largest health insurance company of trying to scare people about his effort to overhaul the state's health care system.
The Republican governor's comments came the same day that Blue Cross of California launched a $2 million ad campaign comparing the debate in Sacramento over health care to the electricity deregulation debacle that wracked the state six years ago.
"Blue Cross has already put up an ad where they threaten people and scare people and say `don't change anything,'" Schwarzenegger said during a meeting with high-tech executives at Seagate Technology's office in Sunnyvale. "But we don't pay attention to that."
Blue Cross, the state's largest and most profitable health insurer with more than 8 million members, has emerged as an early and potentially powerful opponent to health care reform plans by Schwarzenegger and Democratic legislative leaders. One Blue Cross executive called the $2 million the company has pledged so far for its advertising campaign a "first investment" in its drive to derail what it calls ill-conceived ideas.
"Unintended consequences do happen," the company's first newspaper ad says. "Remember how the rash deregulation of the energy market in California spawned power outages and soaring rates? Let's not go there again."
