Free Speech: The Government Versus Humana

Is it now a crime to speak the truth on “health care reform?” Humana Health is being investigated over a recent letter to its Medicare policyholders.

Today it was reported that the Health and Human Services Department is investigating Humana Health Insurance because it sent out a mailer critical to the Obama Health Care plan and how it may affect those who are eligible for Medicare. Since when is it illegal to put out an advertisement that speaks the truth about what is occurring and is in support of your business?

Humana serves over 11 million policy holders in the United States and is a leading advocate of developing a simple ID card that the user can take to any doctor so that their medical information is easily transportable. Such a system will provide one of the benchmarks that Obama says will help make insurance more affordable.

It seems odd to me that a company that is driving towards the same goal of portability through open market capitalism is now the target of the US Government. I guess there is too much risk in the idea that private business is already doing the heavy lifting.

One has to ask, is Humana being investigated because it is doing by natural market forces the things that Obama says “must” be done by the Government because business won’t do it… or, is it that they dare to be critical of the government message and thus they must be stopped? Either way, it appears that our infamous Federal Government is overstepping its bounds again… and it must stop.