Perino: Swine Flu Vaccine Shortage Makes Case Against Public Option

Conservative critics of the president are now using the swine flu crisis to build their case against a public option for health insurance coverage.

On Thursday, Dana Perino, former Bush White House Press Secretary, said that the administration's handling of the flu epidemic -- particularly the delays in getting a sufficient supply of vaccine to meet public demand -- provided a clear case against allowing more government intervention in the health care industry.

"Which brings me to a larger point," Perino writes, in an entry on Politico, "does anyone think this episode inspires confidence in Americans that the government should be taking over all aspects of our healthcare system instead of taking step-by-step measures to improve the one we currently have? Perhaps people aren't connecting the dots just yet, but the underlying tension is there and I do think this makes an argument against a public option. If moms and dads are upset about waiting for a flu vaccine distribution run by the federal government, do they want to depend on the government for their basic health care? Uh, no."

Well, uh, yes. For starters, the Obama administration isn't holding back vaccines on purpose. The issue has to do with the pace of manufacturing, which has largely not kept up with the growth in demand. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced on Monday, that the government had a supply of about 16.5 million doses of vaccine -- a large amount but millions of doses below that which is needed.

Still, the shortage of vaccines tells us relatively nothing about the role government would play in providing health insurance. At the very least, its important to note that those who actually have government-run health care (Medicare) generally love the product they receive. Moreover, the fear of rationed care is an old canard that has been debunked by many fact-checking organizations.

The irony, in the end, of Perino's statement is that she is chastising the Obama administration's handling of a major flu outbreak in the first place. Using catastrophe to make a political point was a not uncommon tactic during the Bush years. But is it really fair to charge that government of being incapable of handling a national crisis when the person your old boss appointed to deal with federal emergencies was a former Arabian horse dealer?

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Comments

[HAL 9000]

08:03 AM on 11/27/2009

Extending Perino's bizarre logic, one could argue that Bush shouldn't have taken the government option when he invaded Afghanistan and Iraq. He could have contracted the entire Iraqi war to Xe Services LLC (AKA Blackwater) with no bid contracts, rather than employing a partial government option.

I'd like to hear Perino's logic about this question:

How come conservatives don't want the government messing with Medicare, but its Ok for the government to mess up our illegal wars?

[dstaib]

04:29 PM on 11/25/2009

This logic makes me want to barf. We depend on technology born of the 1940's, growing viruses in eggs for god sake. At best a gamble with mother nature. Please tell us all, how does that relate?

[TessInTx]

09:03 PM on 11/26/2009

We'll probably always relate to mother nature in one way or another to help us solve our vaccination problems but chicken eggs may soon be a thing of the past if one company continues it's research using a larger test group. Protein Sciences is experimenting with a flu vaccine seeded in caterpillar ovary cells. It shortens the development time, no worries of egg allergies, etc. but more research is needed. You can read about it here:

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601124&sid=ahgs1cipLGGY

[TessInTx]

01:08 PM on 11/25/2009

If Ms. Perinno thinks we should be taking "step-by-step measures" to improve the health care system we have rather than over hauling it, why didn't the Republicans do this during the LAST administration?

In regards to the flu vaccine, it's not the federal govt. that's holding anything up. I can't speak for other states/counties but the message in TX (especially on a county lvl) has been terrible. In Dallas County it was announced by the Medical Director early on, "No Public Clinics!" That tune quickly changed as the uproar ensued when it was found out that only 1100 of over 7000 private physicians had bothered to even order the H1N1 vaccine. Now that there are public clinics available at pharmacies, stores, etc., people are gritching that the store is making money or the pharmacy is. But they are getting their vaccine! Ridiculous. Either you want it or you don't.

You can get the vac at Kroger fo $10 or go to your physician (if they have it) and get it for free PLUS at $45 office visit charge. That's one of the things that's wrong with healthcare Ms. Perinno, not HOW the vaccine was rolled out (eggs...that was the slow down responsible for the slow roll out),

Having 50 states and Lord knows how many counties set hundreds of different policies make for bad medicine. It's time to regulate.

[Martel]

03:22 PM on 11/25/2009

Just adding to the above:

Large private corporations are responsible for making the vaccine, not the government. The government is paying them to make it, but no government facility is involved in the production of the vaccine, because there is no government agency with the authority to be involved in such production.

The government ordered the vaccine in sufficient quantities with sufficient time to produce it. The companies dragged their feet and then had 'difficulty' producing it, even though they told the government that they were on schedule...until the day they were to begin large scale delivery.

[TessInTx]

04:08 AM on 11/26/2009

And the fact is that these private corporations (pharma) do NOT make the money off flu vaccines that some people think they do. The WHO delayed declaration of a full scale pandemic from countries due to global economic concerns. The concerns were real had we been dealing with something like H5N1 but IMO it took the declaration of a Pandemic to get research, production and orders of the vac moving. Several weeks could have been lost due to a delay in declaring the Pandemic.

Perino speaks but her statement just bolsters her oppositions stance. We need regulation and uniform health code.

[Hank10303]

12:38 PM on 11/25/2009

Well if she had any real grasp on the real world she would know the shortage is not government related. ITS THE CORPORATE PHARMACEUTICAL MANUFACTURERS responsible for making it and regional distribution.

Not only did Ms. Perino not pass Ameriacn history she didn't do well civic class either.

[Martel]

03:17 PM on 11/25/2009

"ITS THE CORPORATE PHARMACEUTICAL MANUFACTURERS responsible for making it and regional distribution."

Exactly correct. Ms. Perino has a habit of spewing completely absurd falsehood ladled with the sauce of the arrogance of stupidity. She quite literally has only rarely approached something close to truth in her public life, while laughing it off as a foolish mistake. It's apparent that she has a severe allergic reaction to truth and is determined to avoid it at any cost.

[gpsl]

11:28 AM on 11/25/2009

I totally disagree!!

I've been trying for a month or so to get an H1N1 shot for my son through our pediatrician. The vaccines were not available!

However, our whole family was able to get shots from our county health service, for free I might add. We did have to wait in line, but we got the shots while many of our fellow patients at the pediatrician are still waiting!

[DaveKernen]

11:01 AM on 11/25/2009

But the government isn't producing the vaccine, it's private drug manufacturers that are, and that wouldn't change with a public option.
She is attempting to confuse the issue, when she is usually the one that is confused. She has said that no terrorist attacks happened during Bush's term! Does she think we have all forgotten 9/11?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/25/perino-no-terrorist-attac_n_370393.html

[Avigdor]

05:41 AM on 11/03/2009

Who was it who said, "You never want a serious crisis to go to waste" ? (Hint: It wasn't Dana Perino.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mzcbXi1Tkk

[Hank10303]

12:40 PM on 11/25/2009

No that wasn't Perino that said that she would be intelligent enough to recognize a crisis

[wattpuppy]

02:43 PM on 11/01/2009

The Public Option is Marxism.

[DaveKernen]

11:20 AM on 11/25/2009

Don't you have a public option for shipping packages? Remember the USPS vs UPS and Fedex?
Isn't our military a public option? We could, after all, have a private military... if we wanted to pay through the nose.

[Hank10303]

12:41 PM on 11/25/2009

And the republican plan is death to Americans - its a no brainer

[azdirk]

11:28 AM on 10/31/2009

Amazing. Comparing an action against an unknown standard. Besides, the delays have come in production, which is handled by the private sector.

[ILuvBubbles]

05:42 PM on 10/30/2009

Does she back that the government is making the antidote FOR the swine flu or is she against that also?

[Gladys1963]

01:46 PM on 10/30/2009

Thank you, Dr. Perino. I'll take this under advisement.

[mamalisa38]

01:04 PM on 10/30/2009

Not one single person from the Bush administration has any credibility on anything!

[Hank10303]

12:42 PM on 11/25/2009

General Powell but he did resign

[utd]

12:49 PM on 10/30/2009

It would all make sense, if the Government was actually producing the vaccine. Should someone tell her it is private enterprise that is the problem here? Or maybe explain to her that the public option is just an insurance plan.

[Bronxdude]

12:08 PM on 10/30/2009

Katrina, Dana, Katrina!

[CigarGod]

12:04 PM on 10/30/2009

Is Perino contempating a run for political office?

[Gladys1963]

01:47 PM on 10/30/2009

Well, for the Repub party, you just have to be pretty and you're a viable candidate.

[DaveKernen]

11:04 AM on 11/25/2009

Well, pretty or dumb. Or pretty and dumb. Or just pretty dumb.