'Consumer-friendly' is a great word for it . . .

So this morning I see this story in the NYT about how insurance companies are "polishing" their image:

Over the past year, many of the largest insurance companies in the country, including Aetna, Cigna and Humana, have introduced elaborate marketing campaigns to reposition themselves as consumer-friendly health care companies, not just insurance providers. The insurers have been preparing for the possibility that the court may uphold the most controversial provision in the legislation — the individual mandate that would require people to buy health insurance or face a fine.

Industry puff piece, I mean, news story.

I guess that goes with the letter I got from my insurance company yesterday declaring that they want to hike premiums 18.1% across the board this year. (Which is on top of last year's increase, on top of the increase the year before, and the year before that . . .)

Polish away . . .