Health-care firms on lookout for Michael Moore

Forwarded message from fidyl@yahoo.com
   
[ Subject: Health-care firms on lookout for Michael Moore
[ From: fidyl@yahoo.com
[ Date: Fri, 26 Nov 2004

Health-care firms on lookout for Michael Moore

By Bruce Japsen
Chicago Tribune
September 30, 2004

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=200

The latest buzz in the health-care industry has nothing
to do with new drugs or medical treatments.

It's all about moviemaker Michael Moore and where he's
lurking these days.

Some of the nation's biggest drug manufacturers and
health insurance plans confirm they have issued warnings
to their sales representatives and other employees in
recent weeks, telling them to be on the lookout for the
shaggy filmmaker in his trademark baseball cap. And,
under no circumstances, are they to talk to Moore.

The industry's red alert was prompted by word that Moore
plans to aim his camera lens at the health-care industry,
much as he did with other targets, most recently
President Bush in "Fahrenheit 9/11."

The $100 million box office documentary-style film
presented Bush's war on terror as ill-advised and
corrupt, angering the president's supporters while
drawing cheers from Bush foes.

The planned movie, tentatively titled "Sicko," is
expected to focus on health-care industry business
practices, specifically those of the managed-care and
pharmaceutical industries, which have both been mentioned
in Moore's recent speeches and interviews, his spokesman
said.

Health-care companies are hardly enthused.

"What our society really needs is a serious debate about
overall health care based on facts, not just another one-
sided micro-mockumentary," said Court Rosen, spokesman
with the drug industry's Washington lobby, Pharmaceutical
Research and Manufacturers of America.

But Moore's people seemed amused by the industry's call
to arms, saying health-care companies obviously have
reason to be concerned if they feel the need to put their
employees on guard. Moore representatives say there isn't
even a timetable for production to begin, and financing
has yet to be finalized.

"Everything he does is well-documented, so I can
understand why they would be so worried," said Moore
spokesman Mark Benoit.

Industry observers don't think it will be difficult for
Moore to find real-life examples, since the business
practices of HMOs and certain other health plan business
practices that encourage low-cost medical care have long
been criticized as short-changing patients.

Practices targeted

Meanwhile, drug industry marketing practices have been a
target of prosecutors and lawmakers who say they can lead
to unnecessary prescriptions by doctors or to higher
health-care costs.

The industry's gift-giving practices, intended to win
physician loyalty to certain drugs, have been of
particular concern in a climate of growing consumer
outrage over drug costs, which have risen at an annual
rate of 15 percent during each of the last four years,
far exceeding inflation.

"We would welcome any public disclosure on the way this
multibillion-dollar industry works," said Lynda
DeLaforgue, co-director of consumer group Citizen Action
Illinois. "They would certainly have reason to be
concerned about any group looking into their business
practices, looking into the amount of money that they use
to influence the political and legislative process. These
are obviously the typical things Mr. Moore delves into
deeper."

If industry reports on Moore sightings are to be
believed, the filmmaker himself is taking a page out of
drugmakers' handbooks to do his movie by offering medical
professionals payments for access to their offices.

Companies have warned their sales representatives to be
on the lookout for camera phones and reports of Moore
representatives offering $50,000 to doctors' offices to
place hidden cameras or $5,000 to sales representatives
willing to be filmed, according to a representative of
one drugmaker, who asked not to be identified.

Moore's spokesman would not comment on any production
activity or allegations of payments to drug company
employees.

Miramax, which has been mentioned in published reports as
financing and distributing Moore's film on the health-
care industry, said a deal is in the works but it has
"yet to be finalized," a Miramax spokesman said. Miramax
would not comment on Moore's plans for the film, and
Moore was unavailable for comment.

In the Chicago area, the Moore film has been a topic of
discussion in the public relations and marketing
departments at both Abbott Laboratories of North Chicago
and TAP Pharmaceutical Products Inc. of Lake Forest.

"We have communicated a reminder of our media policy,"
said Abbott spokeswoman Laureen Cassidy.

"If Abbott representatives are directly approached by
media, we have provided them with some helpful reminders
for interacting with the media," she added. "This
information is shared at routine training meetings held
throughout the year. We also share this information when
individuals are staffing an Abbott booth at medical
meetings."

Education on ethics

Even before it was reported that Moore was thinking about
a movie on the health-care industry, Abbott and TAP took
exhaustive measures to educate their sales forces on
ethical business practices.

In 2001, TAP--a joint venture of Abbott and Takeda
Pharmaceutical Co. of Japan--pleaded guilty to a charge
of conspiring with doctors in the mid-1990s to bill
government insurers for free samples of the prostate
cancer drug Lupron and paid an industry record $885
million to settle allegations of wrongdoing.

In July, 11 current and former TAP sales representatives
not covered by the 2001 settlement were either acquitted
or had charges against them dismissed. The trial in
federal court in Boston involved charges of illegal
marketing practices.

Neither TAP nor Abbott would comment on the Moore movie.
They said they do not believe they are a focus of it.

A pharmaceutical professionals' Web site, Cafepharma, has
been abuzz in recent weeks about Moore sightings and
rumors the famed film producer is trying to recruit
pharmaceutical sales representatives for his documentary.

Health plans, too, say they are aware of the film but are
not going to let it distract them from providing patient
care for their subscribers.

"Michael Moore is a major Hollywood entertainer and while
we have heard through the Hollywood press that he has
signed a deal for his next movie, our industry is much
more focused on the needs of the American people
advancing a positive policy agenda in Washington and
across the country to make high-quality health care
affordable for millions of Americans," said Mohit Ghose,
spokesman for America's Health Insurance Plans.

End of forwarded message from fidyl@yahoo.com

Jai Maharaj
http://www.mantra.com/jai
Om Shanti

Hindu Holocaust Museum
http://www.mantra.com/holocaust

Hindu life, principles, spirituality and philosophy
http://www.hindu.org
http://www.hindunet.org

The truth about Islam and Muslims
http://www.flex.com/~jai/satyamevajayate

The terrorist mission of Jesus stated in the Christian bible:

    "Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not so send
peace, but a sword.
    "For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the
daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in
law.
    "And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.
- Matthew 10:34-36.

    o  Not for commercial use. Solely to be fairly used for the educational
purposes of research and open discussion. The contents of this post may not
have been authored by, and do not necessarily represent the opinion of the
poster. The contents are protected by copyright law and the exemption for
fair use of copyrighted works.
    o  If you send private e-mail to me, it will likely not be read,
considered or answered if it does not contain your full legal name, current
e-mail and postal addresses, and live-voice telephone number.
    o  Posted for information and discussion. Views expressed by others are
not necessarily those of the poster.

FAIR USE NOTICE: This article may contain copyrighted material the use of
which may or may not have been specifically authorized by the copyright
owner. This material is being made available in efforts to advance the
understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic,
democratic, scientific, social, and cultural, etc., issues. It is believed
that this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as
provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title
17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without
profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included
information for research, comment, discussion and educational purposes by
subscribing to USENET newsgroups or visiting web sites. For more information
go to:  http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml
If you wish to use copyrighted material from this article for purposes of
your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the
copyright owner.