Legal Niches

Virtual Currency for Anti-Health Care Letters

By pete_gallagher

It appears that anti-health care reformers are rewarding Facebook gamers with virtual currency for participation in a letter writing campaign to Congress featuring the message that government-run health care is not the answer.

A story on Business Insider details the alleged practice, which is being done at the behest of GetHealthReformRight.org, a website backed by a series of insurance brokers and underwriters, including the BlueCross BlueShield Association, the National Association of Health Underwriters and the America's Health Insurance Plans. The National Retail Association is also listed.

The group states that they 'are concerned about federal legislation that would create new government bureaucracies that would unravel the workplace healthcare system.'

It seems that the campaign is offered on Facebook under the guise of a quiz, which participants are required to take in order to receive virtual currency to use in a Facebook game. Upon completion of the quiz, and after entering personal information, an email is sent to Congress with the message, 'As the Senate considers healthcare reform, I'm writing to express my strong opposition to a government-run health plan. I am concerned a new government plan would cause me to lose the employer coverage I have today.'

The growing proliferation of fake grass-roots campaigns has resulted in a name being spawned for the practice—astroturfing.

Full post as published by GamePolitics.com on December 10, 2009 (boomark / email).