The Health Care Lobby: Watch What They Do

[marmar]

from OurFuture.org:



The Health Care Lobby: Watch What They Do
By Robert Borosage

May 20th, 2009 - 9:44am ET


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A crisis that demands fundamental change. A president with a mandate to drive it. A Congress, controlled by Democrats, ready to act. Now comes the hard part: actually getting something real done.

These are salad days for Democratic lobbyists, because deep pocket interests—health insurance companies, Big Pharma, oil and gas and coal companies, the utilities and, of course, the banks—are buying them up to help harness the gale winds of change. Get ready to be dazzled; the strategies employed will reflect the imagination of Washington's most clever operators.

For example, the health care lobby has employed one basic theme in trying to stop health care: Scare the hell out of Americans by decrying a "government takeover" of health care. But in the age of Obama, they want to be seen as part of the solution, not simply part of the problem.

So last week, the leading health care trade associations—the lobbies for insurance companies, doctors, hospitals, drug companies, plus a union—stood with the president to pledge dramatically to "do our part" to reduce the rate of soaring health care costs by 1.5 percent a year over the next decade, a promise that if fulfilled would save some $2 trillion from the cost of care. Not surprisingly, the president—eager to show that his efforts to give everyone a seat at the table were bearing fruit—was happy to hail that promise. .........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.ourfuture.org/blog-entry/2009052120/health-care-lobby-watch-what-they-do

[droidamus2]

1. Don't believe it

They aren't giving anything it is an empty promise. Sure, right they will raise the cost 1.5 % less than what? So they estimated that they would raise the cost by 20% now its only 18.5% gee I feel so much better. Unless they are actually cutting the cost it doesn't mean a damn thing it's all smoke and mirrors. Single payer is the only way to help the people of this country with the soaring costs of health care.

[dflprincess]

2. Let's not call them the health "care" lobby

it's the for profit health insurance lobby and health insurance does not equal health care.

[annabanana]

3. The insurance industry will throw every last one of (our) pennies

into this effort. I expect it will cost lives too.

Every day Americans are denied care for the tinitest little technicalities that can be divined by bean counters rewarded for every nickle they squeeze.

[northernlights]

4. exactly. health INSURANCE does not deliver *any* health care

gotta stop feeding into the language spin.