The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #128314   Message #2891790
Posted By: Sawzaw
21-Apr-10 - 10:42 PM
Thread Name: BS: Republican response to Health Reform
Subject: RE: BS: Republican response to Health Reform
Why does it cost $940 Billion to save money?

What is in the health care bill that lowers the cost of medical care, health insurance or medecine?

To make it more palatable they built in a 21% medicare pay cut for doctors. They hooted about how they won the fight against the Republicans and do not mention the Democrats they battled with.

Then they restore the 21% cut in another bill that has nothing to do with healths care and hoot about how they beat the evil Republicans again.

The bill is the product of health care, insurance and medical industry and drug company lobbyists, after we were told lobbyists were not going to have any influence any more.

No back room dealing. Every thing out in the open, on Cspan even.

Familiar Players in Health Bill Lobbying Firms Are Enlisting Ex-Lawmakers, Aides

Washington Post

The nation's largest insurers, hospitals and medical groups have hired more than 350 former government staff members and retired members of Congress in hopes of influencing their old bosses and colleagues, according to an analysis of lobbying disclosures and other records.

The tactic is so widespread that three of every four major health-care firms have at least one former insider on their lobbying payrolls, according to The Washington Post's analysis.
...The hirings are part of a record-breaking influence campaign by the health-care industry, which is spending more than $1.4 million a day on lobbying in the current fight, according to disclosure records. And even in a city where lobbying is a part of life, the scale of the effort has drawn attention. For example, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) doubled its spending to nearly $7 million in the first quarter of 2009, followed by Pfizer, with more than $6 million.

The push has reunited many who worked together in government on health-care reform, but are now employed as advocates for pharmaceutical and insurance companies....

...A June 10 meeting between aides to Baucus, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, and health-care lobbyists included two former Baucus chiefs of staff: David Castagnetti, whose clients include PhRMA and America's Health Insurance Plans, and Jeffrey A. Forbes, who represents PhRMA, Amgen, Genentech, Merck and others. Castagnetti did not return a telephone call; Forbes declined to comment.

Also inside the closed committee hearing room that day was Richard Tarplin, a veteran of both the Department of Health and Human Services and the Senate, where he worked for Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.), one of the leaders in fashioning reform legislation this year. Tarplin now represents the American Medical Association as head of his own lobbying firm, Tarplin Strategies....