More Politics Of Health Care

The WSJ has a story today about the Nataline Sarkisyan case, with reference to John Edwards. It's a story well covered here at Daily Kos. The comments from specialists not associated with the case are interesting. What's especially interesting (beyond the story), buried in the article, is this:

Karen Ignani, president of America's Health Insurance Plans, the main industry lobby group, said it's addressing the desire for health-care change by making its own proposals for universal coverage. Last month, it offered a proposal for guaranteeing access to individual health insurance to anyone who applies. The industry has long opposed that idea in practice.

The group also plans to work with medical societies on how to finance or cover experimental treatments. "We're not taking a P.R. approach to this but a policy approach," she said. "People want us to solve the problem, not just discuss it." [my bold].

Still, Robert Laszewski, a health-care consultant in Washington, said the industry often muffs its public-relations strategy. Cigna's delay in reversing its decision on Nataline's transplant "shows just how tone-deaf" the industry is, he said.

While they may be tone-deaf, they're not stupid. Does anyone think that guaranteed individual health insurance, even an industry-driven version, would even be on the table unless the industry smelled the possibility of a Democrat in the WH?