Google to HMOs: pay us and we'll defuse "Sicko"

Google's "Health Advertising Team" is trying to sell the health industry on buying ads to be shown opposite searches for "Sicko." The idea is to counter Michael Moore's amazing, enraging, must-see indictment of the health industry's grip on American society by running ads over search results for Sicko.

Another approach would be to reform the practices that Moore criticises in the film -- for example, refusing to pay for an insured individual's surgery because she didn't mention a 15-year-old yeast infection on her application; denying MRIs to patients with brain tumors; and paying medical directors bonuses for denying claims.

But why make your customers healthier -- at shareholder expense -- when you can just give money to Google to FUD and astroturf the issue?

The healthcare industry is no stranger to negative press. A drug may be a blockbuster one day and tolled as a public health concern the next. News reporters may focus on Pharma’s annual sales and its executives’ salaries while failing to share R&D costs. Or, as is often common, the media may use an isolated, heartbreaking, or sensationalist story to paint a picture of healthcare as a whole. With all the coverage, it’s a shame no one focuses on the industry’s numerous prescription programs, charity services, and philanthropy efforts.

Many of our clients face these issues; companies come to us hoping we can help them better manage their reputations through “Get the Facts” or issue management campaigns. Your brand or corporate site may already have these informational assets, but can users easily find them?

We can place text ads, video ads, and rich media ads in paid search results or in relevant websites within our ever-expanding content network. Whatever the problem, Google can act as a platform for educating the public and promoting your message. We help you connect your company’s assets while helping users find the information they seek.

I watched Sicko for the second time last night (I downloaded it a couple weeks ago via The Pirate Bay, with Moore's blessing, then went to see it in a cinema with a crowd), and it was incredibly moving. This is the kind of movie that can change the world -- no matter how much money the HMOs throw at FUD. Link (via Google Blogoscoped)

See also: Moore's "Sicko" leaks onto P2P

• [Takuan]

  #3 Oliva sure looks suspicious. Think it’s malicious.

• [Anonymous]

  I used to like google.
  shit.

• [Teresa Nielsen Hayden / Moderator]

  I still like Google, but this is a wrongheaded thing to do.