Lobbyists the silver lining in health care storm?

[RamboLiberal]

Source: MSNBC/AP

WASHINGTON - A strong force, perhaps as powerful in Congress as President Barack Obama, is keeping the drive for health care going even as lawmakers seem hopelessly at odds.

Lobbyists.

The drug industry, the American Medical Association, hospital groups and the insurance lobby are all saying Congress must make major changes this year. Television ads paid for by drug companies and insurers continued to emphasize the benefits of a health care overhaul — not the groups' objections to some of the proposals.

"My gut is telling me that something major can pass because all the people who could kill it are still at the table," said Ken Thorpe, chairman of health policy at Emory University in Atlanta. "Everybody has issues with bits and pieces of it, but all these groups want to get something done this year." As a senior official at the Health and Human Services department in the 1990s, Thorpe was deeply involved in the Clinton administration's failed effort.

Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32143221/ns/politics/

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I'm getting the feeling instead of a good bill we're going to get a lousy sausage.

[sutz12]

1. This, and the ads, are starting to scare the shit out of me...

I'm starting to think the final bill is going to suck, big time. Dean was right. These guys should not have been at the table.

[Psephos]

2. Pharma, AMA, hospitals and insurance all pushing for it

They smell blood in the water. This is going to be the corporatists' universal health care bill, not the citizens'. Once it's in place, forget about the kind of bill we were all envisioning.

[ScottLand]

3. Yeah, never trust a lobbyist.

I'm sure they'll tell us that lousy sausage is good for us, and that's why it's gonna cost so much more!

[Bluesbreaker]

4. Your instincts are correct

Anticipate mandatory enrollment (good for insurance industry and PHARMA) but not public plan. Tax dollars will go directly to insurers and drug companies. More benefits to the oligarchy (Financial industry, Insurance, Pharmaceutical, hostpitals/doctors), no choice for us. Check out Bill Moyers most recent program, which exposes this: http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/07242009/watch.html

[No Elephants]

5. I wonder why this thread was moved? The MSNBC article was only 3 hours old when the thread

started.