The private health insurance industry is going to great lengths to convince the American people that they are the underdogs in the health care reform debate. And some members of Illinois' own congressional delegation have been shamelessly peddling their message. Not surprisingly, that relationship has been mutually beneficial, according to the watchdog group the Public Campaign Action Fund. The nonprofit watchdog recently found that during the first half of this year, insurance companies have spent nearly $700,000 a day to lobby against Democrats' health reform efforts. As Daily Kos' "mcjoan" recently pointed out, that kind of money could have provided "a helluva lot of healthcare."

Tomorrow afternoon, local members of the Health Care for America Now (HCAN) coalition -- including Citizen Action/Illinois, the SEIU Illinois State Council (which sponsors this website), AFSCME, the AIDS Foundation, Illinois PIRG, and the Illinois Mainstreet Alliance -- are taking their pro-reform message to the doors of Blue Cross/Blue Shield's Chicago headquarters. Aside from blowing the lid on the excessive lobbying, the coalition hopes to pressure the industry to drop some of its most egregious practices, like denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions and offering incentives to claims officers who successfully block claims.

If you work in downtown Chicago and are fed up with the insurance industry's effort to kill health care reform, join the rally tomorrow at 300 E. Randolph.  It kicks off at noon.