The Politico says the health insurance industry is building an “activist army” before any new push for health care reform next year, but you might be surprised at who is enlisting or at least looking favorably upon the “Campaign for an American Solution.”

America’s Health Insurance Plans say they want to involve 100,000 people, including ordinary citizens who are happy with their private insurance coverage. AHIP President and CEO Karen Ignagni plans to kick off the campaign—which includes a national listening tour, advertising and outreach—at a discussion among a group of uninsured people in Columbus, Ohio next Tuesday.

“On an issue as big and far-reaching as health care reform, you need to be working with real people and you need to have a reach outside the Beltway,” AHIP spokesman Michael Tuffin told Politico, which described the outreach as AHIP’s “attempt to drive debate in a political climate that has had the industry on the defensive since Democrats took control of Congress last year.

But the industry is sending out a different message than in 1994, when it helped kill President Clinton’s health care reform. Both the economics and politics of health care are different now. The insurers are saying they want to play a part in the solution, and have offered their own plan to cover all Americans.

What you’re seeing is the alignment of the key constituencies for building and strengthening the employer-based system,” the paper quoted Republican health care strategist Phil Blando as saying.

“There will be a mix of cynicism and hope in reaction to [the industry’s campaign]. To a large degree, the onus will be on the health plans to be a constructive force. I think they get this, but the proof will be in the pudding,” Chris Jennings, a Democratic health care strategist, told the paper.

Clinton’s former Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala responded favorably toward the campaign, and a top state organizer for John Edwards’ recent presidential campaign is working on it.The industry’s efforts can help put health reform at the top of the new administration’s agenda, Shalala told the Politico.

“Look, [insurers] already have considerable clout. They don’t actually need to do this. I think they believe that they’re going to learn something by doing this,” Shalala said. “They want to get a feel for how the public is feeling out there.”

The group would not disclose the costs of its efforts, but Tuffin said it’s the most expensive campaign the industry has launched in the past decade, with “unprecedented” spending on grass roots and outreach.