The e-mail, written by the chamber's senior health policy manager and obtained by The Washington Post , proposes spending $50,000 to hire a "respected economist" to study the impact that health-care legislation, which is expected to come to the Senate floor this week, would have on jobs and the economy.
Step two, according to the e-mail, appears to assume the outcome of the economic review: "The economist will then circulate a sign-on letter to hundreds of other economists saying that the bill will kill jobs and hurt the economy. We will then be able to use this open letter to produce advertisements, and as a powerful lobbying and grass-roots document."
James Gelfand, the e-mail's author, confirmed its authenticity in a brief telephone conversation Sunday evening. He said the campaign against Democratic health legislation would be launched only "if that's what it found," but he declined to comment further and referred questions to a chamber spokesman.
The behind-the-scenes effort by the business groups to influence the legislative debate is part of an intensifying series of attacks by the opponents of Democratic health-care plans.
Obama has said he wants a final bill on his desk by the end of the year, leaving opponents little time to raise new objections as the legislation marches forward.
The chamber and the White House have been at odds for months, with the group opposing Democratic efforts on both health legislation and climate change, two of Obama's priorities. Chamber officials have also charged the administration with pressuring some member companies to quit the group.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., is expected to unveil by Tuesday a bill assembled from the several measures passed in Senate committees the past several months. A House measure passed by a slim margin.
Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., the Republican leader, on Sunday called for a delay in the Senate's consideration of the legislation. On Fox News Sunday , he said he and his 99 colleagues should have time to thoroughly review the massive bill.
Past studies questionedThe proposed economic study by the chamber is the latest example of attempts by advocates and opponents of health-care reform to influence the debate with economic studies. Foes have later questioned some such studies' authenticity.
In mid-October, as the Senate Finance Committee was drafting its health bill, the insurance industry released a study suggesting the bill would dramatically raise the cost of insurance.
Reform advocates said the study by America's Health Insurance Plans did not consider all of the relevant information.
PriceWaterhouseCoopers, the firm retained by AHIP, later said it had not considered some parts of the proposals that might affect the cost of insurance.
Extended Tax Credit for HomeBuyers and HomeownersHealth bill seeks early end-of-life decisions
