HMO Strategist, Urging Renewed Fascism Drive, Confronted in D.C.

September 14, 2009 (LPAC)—Like an SS officer giving spine to his nervous troops, killer-austerity strategist Stuart H. Altman told the health-insurance executives, yes, "you are hated! You even lie to your own families about what you do, because the public despises you."

A director of numerous private insurance companies with millions in salary and stock options (originally hired in 1971 by President Richard Nixon to axe health-care), Altman demanded the executives steel themselves to push drastic cutbacks in Medicare through the Obama regime, while they inflict renewed severity on private patients through their "Managed Care."

Altman sneered at "nutballs" like Sarah Palin who attack mythical death panels. Then he reassured the audience that The Authorities are agreed, that such cost-cutting government panels will be a part of legislation rammed through Congress. He particularly attacked "inventions and innovations in medical technology," which because they promise to extend life and vigor, addict the public and cause terrible cost increases. He warned that unless drastic cuts are made in Medicare coverage, wage and price controls would have to be imposed, to which the public reaction could make last Saturday's anti-Obama Washington rally look very, very small.

The cold-Nazi strategy speech, spiced with profanity and edgy sexual references, was delivered to the 2009 Conference on Medicare of America's Health Insurance Plans. This is the insurance trade association for which Prince Charles/Tony Blair euthansia strategist Simon Stevens now provides guidance and interface with the Obama administration.

EIR/LaRouchePAC reporter Anton Chaitkin said to Altman from the floor microphone, "Your colleague Simon Stevens, now head of health insurance for AARP, has for serious cost-cutting, previously implemented in England the Liverpool Care Pathway" — Altman nodded and said he was quite familiar with it — "where those showing signs that they might die soon are put on deep sedation, nutrition and hydration are withdrwn, and the patient dies quickly. The best studies show that one in every six people who died in Britain last year died from this involuntary euthanasia. Isn't this what you are trying to bring here?"

Altman sneered, "You see, I told you I have to put up with these nutballs!" The audience of nearly a thousand insurance executives erupted in laughter and applause.

He pointed at Chaitkin: "We are not killing anyone. YOU are killing people, by demanding we keep paying for useless procedures!" The audience cheered and clapped. Altman reiterated the "statistics" devised by his longtime close colleague Jack Wennberg, purporting to show that 30% of Medicare spending is wasted on "frail elderly" and other costly patients. The Washington DC conference continues through Tuesday, September 15, with presentations on Congressional and Presidential strategies for savage cost-cutting.