The Business Insider reports that health insurance industry trade groups opposed to President Obama’s health care reform bill are paying Facebook users. The trade group is Facebook users virtual currency to send letters to Congress protesting the bill. When Facebook users play a social game, like “FarmVille” or “Mafia Wars,” the gamers get virtual currency in three ways:
- Winning it playing the games
- Paying for it with real money
- By accepting offers from third parties who agree to give the gamer virtual currency so long as that gamer agrees to try a product or service. This is done through an “offers” provider — a middleman that brings the companies, Facebook, and the Facebook game maker’s users together.
Blue Cross Blue Shield opposition to healthcare reform
It’s this third method that an anti-reform group called “Get Health Reform Right” which is funded and directed by mega-insurer Blue Cross Blue Shield according to SourceWatch is using to pay gamers virtual currency for their opposition to health-care reform. This practice of paying people to act like political supporters is called “astroturfing,” because of the fake grass-roots campaigning. The Insurance Companies’ Political Action Committee astroturfing is targeting women in their 30s and 40s and teenagers of both sexes who tend to be Facebook gamers according to Business Insider.
Instead of asking the gamers to try a product, “Get Health Reform Right” requires gamers to take a survey, which, upon completion, automatically sends the following email to their Congressional Representative, including:
“I am concerned a new government plan could cause me to lose the employer coverage I have today. More government bureaucracy will only create more problems, not solve the ones we have.”
Under the “Who We Are” tab on GetHealthReformRight.org (appears down on 12-10-09) the following organizations are listed:
Association of Health Insurance Advisors- America’s Health Insurance Plans
- American Benefits Council
- BlueCross BlueShield Association
- Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers
- Healthcare Leadership Council
- Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers
- National Association of Health Underwriters
- National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors
- National Retail Association
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This practice is not illegal. Most EULA’s are so broad, ambiguous, and slanted toward the vendor that most anything is possible. The ethics of this practice are pretty shady in my opinion. Based on the list of companies that back GetHealthReformRight.org. I find it extremely hard to believe that these insurance companies have nothing but their own best interests in mind.
Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.