Obama attacks insurers "deceptive and dishonest"

Its must be like looking in a mirror, but going after the antitrust exemption smacks of big government retaliation.

U.S. President Barack Obama lashed out on Saturday against the "deceptive and dishonest" efforts of health insurance companies, who he said are trying to kill healthcare reform, no matter the cost to the country. Sharpening his attack on insurers, Obama also signaled support for a congressional review of the insurance industry's long-standing exemption from federal anti-trust laws. Some Democrats want the privilege repealed. Defending insurers' position, AHIP spokesman Robert Zirkelbach said, "We are not trying to stop reform as some have suggested. We want reform that will work and can be sustained, and we are offering solutions to address the concerns." He said threats to repeal the industry's anti-trust exemption -- the McCarran-Ferguson Act, which kept regulation in the states' hands -- was "retaliation for us speaking out." Obama maintained, however, that the insurance industry "is rolling out the big guns and breaking open their massive war chest -- to marshal their forces for one last fight to save the status quo." "They're filling the airwaves with deceptive and dishonest ads. They're flooding Capitol Hill with lobbyists and campaign contributions. And they're funding studies designed to mislead the American people," he said.