Originator of False "Death Panel" Rumor Worked with Philip Morris in 1990s to Kill Health Care Reform

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The woman credited with originating the false "death panels" claim about health care reform legislation worked with Phillip Morris [6] in the 1990s to derail the Clinton administration's efforts to reform health care [7], according to the October 1 issue of Rolling Stone magazine. Author Tim Dickinson reports that Phillip Morris "worked off-the-record with Manhattan [Institute] and writer Betsy McCaughey as part of the input to the three-part expose in The New Republic on what the Clinton plan means." The information about McCaughey's involvement with Philip Morris was discovered in a March, 1994 PM report titled "Tobacco Strategy." [8] Betsy McCaughey [9] (also known as Elizabeth McCaughey), a conservative commentator who served as former Lieutenant Governor of New York under George Pataki [10], authored a 1994 article [11] in The New Republic that was widely credited with helping to kill the Clinton-era health reforms. The article was riddled with falsehoods and misinterpretations and The New Republic later retracted her story and published a critique [12] of it, saying "she completely distorted the debate on the biggest public policy issue of 1994." McCaughey had other associations with the tobacco industry [13]: a letter [14] and a check [15] show the Tobacco Institute [16] donated [14] to her victory reception after she was elected Lieutenant Governor. She is also included on a 1998 Philip Morris "Third Party Message Development Contact List" [17]. McCaughey appears to be playing a key role in efforts to shut down the Obama administration's efforts to achieve health care reform.