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

[Pyfagorus]

Patients in the US healthcare system need to be told what their place is. You do they think they are, anyway? The only reason they even exist is so very important shareholders can make a buck.

[Pyfagorus]

I meant "who" not "you." Time for more coffee.

[Kassandra]

You're pretty much right on that one, I think. Who needs us? I just wonder what will happen to us when we run out of stuff they can take away?

[Pyfagorus]

Well, they may eventually cure all our diseases one day.... but they'll always have injuries..­. *dreamy sigh* ....

[Cambridge9]

So! We the People also have to lobby. We must lobby our Congressman, Our Senators and anyone else we can reach. We must remember that all these ex-lawmakers are still reaping the rewards of their old job; ie: a pension and health care that they still receive from We the People while they are working against the people they used to represent(?) - helping the corporations who have screwed us for years. Each of them must be exposed in newspapers, TV, radio and by any other means available. We have to make the lives of these lobbyists very uncomfortable.

I just lost my respect for Dick Gebhardt who I always thought was a 'people' person. Strange how little we know about the people who either represent us now or represented us in the past. As for Dick Armey? He has always been typical of the righties - those who truly believe that the working class really don't matter. Unfortunately, they fail to realize that the many people lose their homes because of incredible medical expenses or loss of their job - and become uninsurable either because of pre-existing condition or because they just can't afford the premiums.

There are many states who are deeply in debt now, so how will these same states pay the costs of emergency room visits for those folks who can actually get care (very often too late) at the ER of a hospital which is not allowed to turn them away.

LET'S GET BUSY.

[lpbj]

It is so easy to become disillusioned about the whole them. We can't fight against that type of money. We can only remember these not-so-public servants when voting time comes again.

[Cambridge9]

The trouble is that when voting time comes and we want to vote against the guy who is currently in office - we usually have to vote for the opposing team - which is not a good thing. Sometimes is a case of holding our Representatives feet to the fire.

[sueinmn]

WHO is lobbying for the American public?

Lobbying needs to end one way or the other!

[1dogs2]

And of course hiring these people at astronomical salaries to undermine our democratic process just adds to the increase in everyone's health insurance premiums because the companies have to get that money back in order to pay their shareholders who depend on our ill-health to increase their wealth. That's the free market for you.

[gpeach36]

This is exactly what I've been saying about lobbyists. They need to be outlawed and the free flow of money to buy politicians put to a stop immediately. This happens with healthcare, tobacco, and on and on.

[plzchuteme]

The whole lobbying "industry," is screwed up and out of control, and especially the practice of former lawmakers and staff bring hired to lobby against what many times is not in the best interests of the citizen. Think about it. For many, their government service amounts to little more than a glorified training program to land a job with an even higher payoff; sort of a "vocational school," or "internship" with tuition and stipend being paid for on the public's dime. When we hear about a particular industry spending millions, or even billions to sway legislation to benefit their particular industry, do we stop and think about where that money comes from. There is no money tree growing outside of United Health or Citibank that can be harvested to pay for lobbying. They use money squeezed from their customers in the form of premiums or fees to lobby against the best interests of those very customers. It's like paying the salaries and buying the weapons of the soldiers we are fighting against. If we decide to fight back against the wishes of that industry by supporting some non-profit consumer advocacy group, we pay again in the form of contributions or dues.Can you count just how many times we pay, and for what?

[sportyjudy]

Talking to two die hard republicans yesterday who actually have come around to national health care plan and gave a very good reason why:

When they did not have insurance their son had gotten hurt and had to have a cast put on his leg. They negotiated with the hospital and thankfully had cash to pay and the hospital cut them a deal; $600.

Fast forward a couple of years when they now have insurance; same son hurt his arm. Took him to hospital as it was a holiday. The hospital wanted him transferred to a bigger hospital by ambulance to see a specialist. They called their local Dr. at home and he asked them to hand the phone to the ER Dr. who then came back and said " Guess we aren't going to the specialist" but the cost for basically the same thing but for arm; $1600.

I was very surprized that these two die hard republicans are now on board with Obama because of their experience. How many more of these stories are out there? Maybe we need to hear more of these!

[sueinmn]

My neice just had a simple arm/shoulder surgery. Tendon needed repair. It was pre approved and when it was done it was declared pre existing. Never before had she seen a doctor for this issue but they claim it didnt come on over night. Her insurance coverage is through hospitol employment. $60,000. bill will NEVER get paid as she makes minimum wage. they will never pay this off. they pay 100 per week in insurance premiums for nothing!

[LorettaSingbiel]

"How many more of these stories are out there? Maybe we need to hear more of these!"

People across the United States are sharing their personal stories with Barack Obama's repurposed campaign arm, Organizing For America, to tell the world about the failures of the U.S. health care system..."­hundreds of thousands" of stories submitted, according to an official with Organizing for America. The site, called "Health Care Stories for America," was launched a couple weeks ago.

These TRAGIC stories SHOULD be REQUIRED READING for those who are COMFORTABLE with CONDEMNING the un- or under-insured to DEATH.

[Periwinkle]

If they can afford to blow 1.4 million a day, they need some competition.

[Adartist777]

It's all about money. The wealthy preying on the poor and middle class. It's class warfare. This is our government for the people? More like a permanent lost weekend of drunken idiots in the woods.

Can you imagine all of that money floating around Washington? Everybody's going to have a slice of that pie. Regardless of the consequences to Americans. Regardless that you're losing your home to health care costs. Regardless of the unemployed that can't afford health care.

When you're a former top government employee or former Congressman, you've hit the gravy train for life. In a way, it doesn't matter if you've lost the election or job. You can have your revenge on the constituents that voted you out, by lobbying. The money just pours in. And it's never enough, is it?

Our government should be consulting health care specialists from other universal health care nations. This would be the best consideration in the process of creating the public option.

[LorettaSingbiel]

"Regardless that you're losing your home to health care costs."

Our taxdollars are spent on Fire Departments to prevent our homes from burning to the ground ... only to lose those homes to foreclosure and bankruptcy due to health care costs.

Yes folks ... we're willing to pay to SAVE PROPERTY in this "christian" country ... but not to SAVE PEOPLE!

PROPERTY can be replaced ... PEOPLE CANNOT!!!

[regellner]

Although I know that there is no way that single payer would be passed, this is complete proof as to why there should be single payer.
It is a sad state of affairs that whether a person lives or dies is determined by whether or not it cuts into a company's profit margin.
There must be at least a public option in our health care system to keep these companies in check.

Following is a link on health care reform:

http://www.examiner.com/x-11326-Liberal-Examiner~y2009m6d18-Healthcare-reform-is-critical-for-economic-stability-and-competitiveness-of-the-United-States


Raymond Gellner – National Liberal Examiner at Examiner.com
http://www.examiner.com/x-11326-Liberal-Examiner
__________­__________­__________­__________­__________­________

[hughfree]

I predict that the lack of an effective public health care option, which these lobbyists are pursuing, will be the nail in the coffin for the US economy. Yes, we will have another Great Depression. Mr. Obama and the rest of you politicians, I call on you to ignore these lobbyists and fix what all Americans need now not just for physical health but for economic health. We are being bankrupted by health care costs.

[periscope]

Representative democracy is undermined by lobbyists. The "will of the people," is consistently ignored with regard to having a national healthcare plan that is affordable for all, just as we are ignored on gun laws, where automatic weapons can be sold at gun shows with little background checking.
I believe that on major issues, the Congress should be overruled by the people by providing Internet voting for these major issues. "Power to the people," would then be a reality instead of an empty slogan.

[jrfunkenstein]

They'll spend hundreds of millions if necessary to protect the billions they siphon from people's maladies and misery.

Amazing how terrified the entire industry is at the notion of losing their unwarranted status as the only option available when people become sick.

[mitsie]

There are millions of us private citizen lobbyests who will continue to put our pressure on our government officials. This is our government and our representatives, not the lobbyests. Let them know, even if you have to contact them every day. Put pressure on them special interest groups.

[missette]

"Overall, health-care companies and their representatives spent more than $126 million on lobbying in the first quarter, leading all other industries­..."

This is worthy of the lead headline on the front page in itself. The same insurers that routlinely seek to deny the insured catastrophic coverage on some application technicality and who often leave the insured bankrupt despite their insurance with dubious claims of "usual and customary costs" have $126 million to further keep the insured lacking in proper coverage and hostage to their will. And sorry Mr. Tauzin, but you baseball analogy can be thrown right back "atcha.' You're right, coaches are hired on the basis of their insider knowledge in order to give the team an advantage over the others. In sports that's a good thing - indeed, the point. What your lobbying is doing is trying to give insurers continued power keep the insured forever underinsured and powerless and their heath care inadequate - that's a bad thing sir - but you knew that.

[LorettaSingbiel]

VERY WELL SAID! I pulled that sentence out of the 3 page article myself ... to remind ALL AMERICANS that $126 MILLION could have SAVED the LIVES of countless people who've suffered a catastrophic injury or chronic illness ... but NOT in THIS country!!!

SANCTIMONIOUSLY SHAMEFUL to make PROFITS the PRIORITY over PEOPLE!!!