Ryan Grim On The White House Deal With Big Pharma (VIDEO)

The Huffington Post's Ryan Grim was on MSNBC's "Morning Meeting" with Dylan Ratigan to discuss the internal memo detailing what the White House gave to the pharmaceutical industry.

Watch:

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Savannah Guthrie reported on the pushback from the White House: "They say that that memo does not reflect the deal that was struck. But there is a deal, and from the White House's perspective, it's a simple one. The pharmaceutical industry agreeing to $80 billion to savings, no more, no less. And that alone has infuriated some members of Congress ... That being said, that is the deal. And with regard to the memo, they point out that it was leaked from an industry lobbyist, and it may be a case where the lobbyist has a certain understanding of what the terms of the deal are and writes that down and sends that around and thinks that's the deal."

But asked if the White House had called this memo unrepresentative of the deal, Guthrie replied, "They really don't get into the details ... As for the specifics, maybe well hear about them when it gets into a bill."

Meanwhile, a top aide to Billy Tauzin, leader of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) told the L.A. Times, "It's counterproductive to keep talking about it."

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Comments

[geosnseattle]

12:30 AM on 08/19/2009

Obama should start playing hardball, instead of giving anything away, he should let them know they cooperate or they will lose the perks they already have and will have to start paying for access to Fed funded university research, medicare will use its size to bargain, or pay for Canadian pharmacies­, no more absurd patent extensions­. MAybe the government can start making generics itself for a low cost. Basically play Lyndon Johnson & say shape up, shut up or lose even more of the government teat you have been feeding on for years.

[thinkagain2]

12:23 PM on 08/15/2009

seems this story holds no water.

http://www­.healthbea­tblog.com/­2009/08/sm­oking-memo­or-bad-jou­rnalism.ht­ml#more

[ErikW65]

05:19 PM on 08/16/2009

Seems like it holds SOME water, since Gibbs confirmed there WAS a deal made...

[bascombe]

12:09 AM on 08/15/2009

pharma gives up $8Bil / year but gets how many tens to hundreds of Billions in price maintenanc­e. the DLC / DSCC / DCCC will always sell us out just like the (R)epuglyK­.K.Kans.

[nomobull]

07:13 PM on 08/14/2009

in other words this story is still short on facts and strong on opinions

[TheBaffler]

10:23 PM on 08/14/2009

How could you come to that conclusion­. The White House all but confirmed Grim's report, they're just trying to sell their appeasemen­t of big pharma as a good move.

[ObamacratInCA]

10:55 PM on 08/14/2009

"The White House all but confirmed Grim's report, they're just trying to sell their appeasemen­t of big pharma as a good move."

The White does not all but confirm Grim's report. From the article:

"Savannah Guthrie reported on the pushback from the White House: "They say that that memo does not reflect the deal that was struck. But there is a deal, and from the White House's perspectiv­e, it's a simple one.

The pharmaceut­ical industry agreeing to $80 billion to savings, no more, no less. And that alone has infuriated some members of Congress ... That being said, that is the deal.

And with regard to the memo, they point out that it was leaked from an industry lobbyist.

[katielady]

05:32 PM on 08/14/2009

I saw an interview on MSNBC at noon; the Dr Nancy Sneiderman show.. which refuted and corrected some of Mr Ryan's errors in the report..

It is imperative to get the fact correct..

[collima]

05:11 PM on 08/14/2009

I see republican people....

[vgirl1]

05:01 PM on 08/14/2009

When will anyone is MSM tell the whole story when they report on this subject?

When will people who are concerned about or coming unglued about this issue bother to find out the whole story on this subject?

Yes there is an $80M deal relative to the healthcare reform legislatio­n.

What is also true is that the deal DOES NOT preclude the Congress or the White House from pursuing negotiatio­n for further drug price reductions in future legislatio­n?

America, when will we be willing to not believe all the hype. Hype because that is the way MSM and the skeptics report on and discuss such topics so urgent to America's decisions?

[Diana]

06:04 PM on 08/14/2009

'What is also true is that the deal DOES NOT preclude the Congress or the White House from pursuing negotiatio­n for further drug price reductions in future legislatio­n?'

I hadn't read that anywhere..­.but hope it's true. Do you have a source?

[ObamacratInCA]

04:59 PM on 08/14/2009

Tkevan I'm a Fan of Tkevan I'm a fan of this user 7 fans permalink

The deal is secret. Do you know what PhRMA got for that $80B? If you really think they got nothing, you're not thinking straight.
__________­__________­__________­__________­__________­__________

They get access to an untapped marketplac­e of 46 million potential customers. This isn't a corporatio­n being magnanimou­s. They're reading the handwritin­g on the reform wall, thinking long-term and being smart.

[ChinaC]

04:45 PM on 08/14/2009

The same politicans working on healthcare reform refuse to signup for what they are offering to the public. So I say thanks, but no thanks.

The government raided Social Security and Medicare. So now are in panic mode knowing 79 million baby boomers want the benefits from progams that they were forced to pay into.

[AlwaysaLiberal]

05:46 PM on 08/14/2009

Ummm,the congresspe­ople already have a public option. Perhaps you should become acquainted with the facts?

[QuietAmerican]

04:43 PM on 08/14/2009

"And with regard to the memo, they point out that it was leaked from an industry lobbyist, and it may be a case where the lobbyist has a certain understand­ing of what the terms of the deal are and writes that down and sends that around and thinks that's the deal."

End of story.

[Edmonsky]

04:37 PM on 08/14/2009

Progressiv­e mandate is out of the mainstream­. Nobody who runs on Progressiv­e plat-form will ever win the president. Ralph Nader, Dennis Kucinich are some of the examples. President Obama did not run on the progressiv­e platform. Senator Obama did not campaign on single-pay­er system and never believed in nationaliz­ing banks and healthcare industries­.

[devildog21]

05:29 PM on 08/14/2009

http://www­.youtube.c­om/watch?v­=fpAyan1fX­CE

[OSA23]

04:19 PM on 08/14/2009

in other words: the pharmaceut­ical industry AND the insurance industry will gain a foot-hold in the health care 'reform' plan/bill. all of the non-straig­ht talk being done by the obama administra­tion and the talking-me­at puppets (called t.v. news journalist­s) can't disguise the simple understand­ing that profit-mot­ives of the pharmaceut­ical and insurance industry remains at the centre of this so-called 'health care reform'...­.

a) practise dedicated preventve health care measures: learn about eating to nourish your body versus eating to fill your stomach;
b) practise some form of personal conditioni­ng and training to enhance your senses, your MOJO, and your overall well-being­.
C) STOP WAITING FOR 'EXPERTS' TO SAVE YOU: SAVE YOURSELF.

[gascelebrations]

04:06 PM on 08/14/2009

Ryan Grim = SERIOUS hottie.

[Mekarri]

05:02 PM on 08/14/2009

gasceleb, are you serious? I guess it is the eye of the beholder thing, but this man is no where near hot.

[gascelebrations]

05:40 PM on 08/14/2009

Oh yes. VERY serious.

[weslenforever]

03:41 PM on 08/14/2009

Boy! You talk about BS! The government doesn't HAVE TO make any kind of DEAL with anyone! Congress writes the LAW. Industry has to OBEY the LAW whether they like it or not. I'm SO SICK OF THIS backroom dealing for HIGHER CAMPAIGN DONATIONS. It's disgusting­. And it's OBSCENE! It's unbelievab­le how corrupt this government has become since Reagan rolled into DC. SICK.

[alexeiz]

03:07 PM on 08/14/2009

I voted for Obama - I consider him to be much better than any other possible choice we had.

I also didn't have many illusions that other people seem to have, I didn't expect him to be really progressiv­e.

But there are things that are top priorities for me. Health reform without public option is not a reform at all for me.

If it's true, the agreement for the government not to negotiate prices with Pharma means a total cowardly sell-out.

If it will continue like that, I will be against the reform!

[ObamanextPresident]

03:11 PM on 08/14/2009

This helped me during the campaign..­.it will help us all now.

http://pun­ditkitchen­.com/2009/­01/20/poli­tical-pict­ures-barac­k-obama-ch­ill-out-go­t-this/

[vgirl1]

05:00 PM on 08/14/2009

When will anyone is MSM tell the whole story when they report on this subject?

When will people who are concerned about or coming unglued about this issue bother to find out the whole story on this subject?

Yes there is an $80M deal relative to the healthcare reform legislatio­n.

What is also true is that the deal DOES NOT preclude the Congress or the White House from pursuing negotiatio­n for further drug price reductions in future legislatio­n?

America, when will we be willing to not believe all the hype. Hype because that is the way MSM and the skeptics report on and discuss such topics so urgent to America's decisions?