Dept. of Health and Humans Serv. Violates Freedom of Speech

[SB Shock]

the federal Department of Health and Human Services placed a gag order on private health insurance companies communicating to their Medicare Advantage customers their concerns about Democratic health care reform proposals. The gag order is backed by a threat of federal prosecution.

So much for free Speech.

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/nb-staff/2009/09/24/mrcs-bozell-media-must-investigate-outrageous-obama-hhs-gag-order

[SubGod22]

Does this really surprise anyone?

[RoyalShock]

Threat of prosecution for giving their constitutionally protected opinion?

Way to go Sebelius. You are a disgrace. If this is true our Kansas congressmen should begin calling for her resignation.

[SB Shock]

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and other top Senate Republicans threatened Thursday to block nominees to a federal agency unless it withdraws its order to Humana and other insurance companies to refrain from communicating with customers over health care reform.

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20090924/NEWS01/909240355/1008

[Maggie]

Mark Tapscott: Beware the Stalin in progressive hearts

Once the power is granted, the question becomes how severe will the enforcement be. Fines will suffice, for Obamacare, for now. For Stalin, the first choice was usually the Gulag, or a bullet. It's just a matter of degree.

But that is what government always does as it becomes more costly, intrusive and intolerant of dissent. As if to drive the point home, the Department of Health and Human Services issued a gag order this week telling all private companies participating in the Medicare Advantage program to shut up. Violators would face fines and jail time. Forget the First Amendment.

The gag order was issued after Humana Corp. sent a letter to its policyholders who participate in Medicare Advantage telling them the facts about Obamacare's effect on the program. The companies were ordered "to end immediately all such mailings to beneficiaries and to remove any related materials directed to Medicare enrollees from your website."

The bureaucrats added this blunt threat: "Please be advised that we take this matter very seriously and, based upon the findings of our investigation, will pursue compliance and enforcement actions. ...."

Those, my friends, are the words of soft tyranny. How much longer before it becomes a hard tyranny?

The books he recommends are both worth reading regardless of your ideological leanings or you could check out Hayek's classic - The Road to Serfdom.

[SubGod22]

This administration isn't wasting any time are they...

[shocklight]

If I was Humana Corp., I would test the gag order. This gag order reeks with constitutional violations, I would love for it to get to a Federal Court and be exposed for what it is!