Hundreds Of Former Lawmakers And Congressional Staffers Hired To Lobby On Health Care

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.

Read the whole story: Washington Post

Comments

[leonel]

IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO GET RID OF LOBBYISTS SO THEY JUST NEED TO BE REGULATED A LOT TIGHTER. IF CONGRESS WAS ONLY ENLIGHTENED ENOUGH.

It is probably going to happen very slowly. It would benefit the Democratic Party to pass a lot stronger regulation because it would even help them in competition with Republicans. Actually if there were strong national government ethics and oversight it would dry up a lot of the nonsense created by Republicans. It takes money to be influence peddling essentially. But the two parties have historically been closer than they both claim, they just have to pick one side or the other on issues.

There are a number of idealistic members of Congress, so it is not a waste of time to write up all the criticism possible on them. They should be made to be feeling shameful all the time, sackcloth for all of them, regardless of how good any of the legislation that they pass!

[mad as heck]

No public option - single payer only. Show 'em.

[Cunningham]

Maybe we should all write our senators and congresswo/men to ask them how much we need to raise to buy their votes.

Shouldn't we have an opportunity to get them to vote for US for a change?

[ReedYoung]

I agree we should all write our Senators, but not to offer to bid for their votes.

Dear corporate shill,
Three out of four U.S. citizens demand public health care.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/17/obama-boost-new-poll-show_n_217175.html
Do not imagine you can be re-elected if you vote against it. That is all.
Sincerely,
your Bosses

[condor101]

The only change we will see is that 40+ million americans will be mandated to buy health insurance. This is a golden opportunity for the health insurance industry, hospitals, and the AMA, and every money hungry doctor in the U.S.
The poor will be appeased because if they fall under the federal guidelines for poverty, they won't have to pay for the insurance. The rich will keep paying for their health insurance, but they're get a lower rate. Every person in the middle class will be mandated and burdened to pay health insurance on a monthly basis for the rest of their lives. As a result, the politicians will claim that everyone is covered by healthcare, disguised as really health insurance.
This will be the biggest fraud. People want true, free healthcare, but the government will mandate every citizen to BUY health insurance.
If such a malicious law passes, I'm definitely making myself poor on paper, so that I can be eligible for the free health insurance.

(continued below)

[condor101]

We have the tax base to support universal health care. We have the tax base to pay for our military and wars in Irag and Afghanstan and nobody blinked an eye in Congress. God forbid we provide health care to every person in this country. the government has the money, but it chooses to spend it on the military and wars. This is an undisputable fact. Just remember the last 8 years.
The propaganda that we have no money for free government sponsored health care is a malicious lie fed by the healthcare system and insurance companies.
Don't believe them.
Demand healthcare for all. Just like in Canada, U.K., and most other 1st world nations.

[ivy]

SimJack, I agree. I don't mean to make light of the damage the insurance industry does and the hardship it inflicts on people. But we've also got the telecommunications industry, along with banks, investment companies, agribusiness, HMOs, I could go on and on.

I worry about when this is going to reach critical mass, and a grassroots effort begins to bring these thugs to heel. Nothing else is going to change things. We've got to get courage and pull behind those of us they single out for abuse, those of us they try to make examples of to intimidate the rest of us. We need to show a united front. This includes the employees of these legal organized crime syndicates. I know people need these jobs, and they're good, honest people. But enough is enough. They're having their work stolen from them.

[democracydiva]

They can spend all the f-ing money they want; the tsunami of people's choice will drown them in a sea of necessity. They will go down like all the other dinosaurs. Good riddance!!

[jozzie]

from your lips to g-d's ears.

[houseafire]

I hope....I hope....I hope!!

But, there are soooo many of our reps who sell themselves shamelessly to the highest bidders that I'm concerned.....and, I'm also hoping that the 'we the people' will pay attention and vote them right out of their seats for not listening!

[KataVideo]

$1.4 Million a day.. how many life-saving surgeries would that pay for?

[sosi]

Clear and present danger for America, those lowest lives are the enemy of the people and state...

[october2009]

The public option will dole money out to the corporations who lobby the most for a piece of the pie.

Obama's plan will cost money... That money is going to have to be spent. The taxpayer money will go to those with the closest ties to our government. Our government will basically be a middleman between us and the corporations. Greedy companies will continue influencing our politicians even in a public system. As a matter of fact, there will be a greater incentive to influence our government when our government has a monopoly over our health care.

It's simple: If a government controls health care and the economy, greedy people are going to control our government.

Big government always gets corrupted, and big government always protects the corporations with the most influence. The power-hungry and greedy corporations love controlling a government that has the power to use force on the people... Corporations can't legally use force on people, only government can.

That's why if our government stopped getting involved in the health care sector and stopped regulating on behalf of the big companies, those companies would actually have to work for our money. We would have a lot more competition and many more people would be able to have affordable health care.

[october2009]

I should also note that our current health care system is also terribly corrupt and in no way am I endorsing it.

We definitely need change, however government monopoly control of health care isn't the answer.

Government needs to get out of health care completely and stop regulating health care on behalf of the big insurance, medical and pharmaceutical companies. The government needs to allow individuals to supply a demand without having to jump through hoops that give the big companies an unfair advantage.

The system is rigged and manipulated by government.

[Googie2]

The system of healthcare as an actual service is regulated by the AMA, and the boards overseeing the admissions at the nations medical schools. The schools control the supply of doctors. In what other industry can you score a 3.9 and fail to get into school? Think about who controls the supply of doctors.

[dynwitch]

Apparently there are still plenty of jobs to be had in Washington D.C.--as long as you are a lobbyist.

[babyboomerorig]

The people who should be lobbying our representative is us.

Nobody paid to do it by the insurance and hospital giants who are all in kahoots together anyway.

They ignore those of us who actually have something to say, stories to tell, broken lives to live and take whatever the paid lobbyists hand out to them. The lobbyists have nothing to say, except to keep their cushy, high paying positions.

[thehoopoe]

This HELP plan is nonsense because it let's them keep all their power. And they know it.

[blueken]

Government gets it's power from a mandate from the masses. When any government no longer acts in the interest of it's people, that government no longer deserves the support of the people. Obama could well be the change agent we have waited for. He just might preside over the collapse of a government over 200 years old. If this government no longer responds to the needs of it's citizens, maybe it's time we had a new government. Everybody deserves a voice, but the voice of big business seems to be the only voice heard in Washington. Everyone thought that King George was too big to fail in 1776. Everyone thought aparthied would last for ever in South Africa. No one saw the collapse of the Soviet Union coming. Time for Washington to wake up, and start representing the people who voted for them, not the people who bought the election.

[lornejl]

Can you imagine a business where the less services you provide the more money you make ?

That is our medical insurance industry.

[jozzie]

Because that describes the insurance company's interests, and so you see what "health care" actually is -- a projection of the insurance companies and not in the business of health.

[BizSamurai]

Yep... answering to shareholders and how big those dividends can be.