Attempted Arrest of Insurance Execs Draws Closer
EmailABC News' Teddy Davis reports: Liberal health reform advocates have encircled Washington's Ritz Carlton Hotel, site of the industry's annual policy conference. Labor organizers and the heads of liberal advocacy groups are now addressing the crowd as they move closer to an attempted "citizen's arrest" "We are here to make a citizen's arrest! Congress you have listened to them long enough. It's time to listen to us," said the head of the liberal USAction group William McNary. McNary then deputized the crowd. Citing increases in insurance premiums, Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers, told the crowd at 12:25 pm ET: "Isn't that criminal? And shouldn't they be arrested for it?" "This is the moment," she continued. "We have to … get it now." Upon discussion of arrest, a dozen police officers moved into the Ritz Carlton's driveway. Robert Zirchelbach, the insurance industry's spokesman, tells ABC News that the protestors' ire should be directed at health-care providers. "If they want to cap insurance premiums, they also have to cap hospitals, physicians, pharmaceutical companies, and medical device-makers." AFL-CIO chief Richard Trumka now addressing crowd, speaking out against the "dark titans" of the insurance industry. Developing ….
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No we just need to cap outrageous bonuses and impose a minimum percent of premiums be used for health care.
Posted by: LauraNo | March 9, 2010, 1:36 pm 1:36 pm
What else do you expect someone like Robert Zirchelbach to say?
People may complain about how much doctors are paid, but somehow if a neurosurgeon makes $300k a year, I imagine he’s earned it.
A guy who makes over $1M a year for outstanding performance in denial of claims? Not so much.
Posted by: Lisa | March 9, 2010, 1:37 pm 1:37 pm
And certain people think the tea party is insane? Circling a hotel and ranting about a ‘citizen’s arrest’? I understand the anger across America about alot of things, but next time one group wants to point the finger at another, maybe they’ll think about this instance.
Posted by: Shoe | March 9, 2010, 1:43 pm 1:43 pm
Citzens arrests are only lawful if there is the likely commission of a felony for the accused, also the citzens making the arrest don’t have any civil protections that law enforcement officials have.
So IF they actually pull this off everyone of the the executives could sue the demonstators for any amount they could think of for “mental stress” or “assault” or any number of other charges.
You may not like what the insurance or the bank executives are doing but so far there is no evidence of a felony in raising premium rates.
This protest is just grandstanding.
Posted by: bobtherepublican | March 9, 2010, 1:54 pm 1:54 pm
Shoe, these aren’t tea-partiers, this is a different protest group.
Bob, I agree, their ‘citizens arrest’ idea is just grand-standing.
I’m irked by Zirchelbach trying to redirect the aptly-aimed anger away fron the insurance industry and toward other groups.
“We’ll continue to pillage, you folk just go over there and fight amongst yourselves for scraps,” is what the insurance companies are saying.
Posted by: Lisa | March 9, 2010, 1:59 pm 1:59 pm
For those of you commenting that this is “just grandstanding” — did you just figure out that this is what folks have to do nowadays to get media coverage?
Posted by: Ruth | March 9, 2010, 2:03 pm 2:03 pm
don’t they have to witness an actually felony in order for them to have a citizen’s arrest? One of insurance executives should’ve let himself be “arrested” and called the real police and have the hippies arrested for false imprisonment, kidnapping, assault, impersonating a police officer, etc. Then slap them with a nice civil suit after cancelling their group’s insurance so they’d have to pony up cash! That would’ve been classic.
Posted by: Ed | March 9, 2010, 2:21 pm 2:21 pm
It all comes down to one basic thing…..health care is FOR PROFIT!
If you want to keep down costs, you MUST remove the profiteering, from the equation.
That CAN ONLY HAPPEN IF, we establish national Health Care for all, and there is NO LONGER, any FOR PROFIT!
Posted by: Rick McDaniel | March 9, 2010, 2:25 pm 2:25 pm
TO Rick McDaniel;
And, of course, no longer health care industry.
Do you work for free?
Posted by: Chuck | March 9, 2010, 2:38 pm 2:38 pm
It is amazing the socialist tone of this country. Is it any surprise that an insurance company charges higher rates for someone with many auto accidents for their auto insurance the same way health insurers charge higher premiums for individuals with high claims? Where are the liberals comments/concerns about the huge fees that plaintiff lawyers make on malpractice claims (i.e. tort reform)? When are we going to start a FAT tax and talk about personal responsibilty for your own health. Our society will crumble when individuals are not responsible for their own actions.
Posted by: Ken K. | March 9, 2010, 11:53 pm 11:53 pm