In Washington, the Revolving Door Is Hazardous to Your Health

On Tuesday, October 13, the Senate Finance Committee finally is scheduled to vote on its version of health care insurance reform. And therein lies yet another story in the endless saga of money and politics.

In many polls, the majority of Americans favor a non-profit alternative -- like Medicare -- that would give the private health industry some competition. So, if so many of us, including President Obama himself, want that public option, how come we're not getting one?

Because the medicine that could cure our health care nightmare has been poisoned from Day One -- fatally adulterated, thanks to the infamous Washington revolving door. Movers and shakers rotate between government and the private sector at a speed so dizzying they forget for whom they're supposed to be working.

If you've been watching the Senate Finance Committee's markup sessions, maybe you've noticed a woman sitting behind Committee Chairman Max Baucus. Her name is Liz Fowler.

Fowler used to work for Wellpoint, the largest health insurer in the country. She was its vice president of public policy. Baucus' office failed to mention this in the press release announcing her appointment as senior counsel in February 2008, even though it went on at length about her expertise in "health care policy."

Now she's working for the very committee with the most power to give her old company and the entire industry exactly what they want -- higher profits-- and no competition from alternative non-profit coverage that could lower costs and premiums.

A veteran of the revolving door, Fowler had a previous stint working for Senator Baucus -- before her time at Wellpoint. But wait, there's more. The person who was Baucus top health advisor before he brought back Liz Fowler? Her name is Michelle Easton. And why did she leave the staff of the committee? To go to work -- surprise -- at a firm representing the same company for which Liz Fowler worked -- Wellpoint. As a lobbyist.

You can't tell the players without a scorecard in the old Washington shell game. Lobbyist out, lobbyist in. It's why they always win. They've been plowing this ground for years, but with the broad legislative agenda of the Obama White House -- health care, the economic stimulus, energy, financial regulatory reform, the Employee Free Choice Act and more -- the soil has never been so fertile.

The health care industry alone has six lobbyists for every member of Congress and more than 500 of them are former Congressional staff members, according to the Public Accountability Initiative's LittleSis database.

They want a public option about as much as you want the swine flu, so just to be certain, Congress sticks with the program, the industry has been showering megabucks all over Capitol Hill. From the beginning, they wanted to make sure that whatever bill comes out of the Finance Committee puts for-profit insurance companies first -- by forcing the uninsured to buy medical policies from them. Money not only talks, it writes the prescriptions.

In just the last few months, the health care industry has spent $380 million on lobbying, advertising and campaign contributions. And -- don't bother holding onto your socks -- a million and a half of it went to Finance Committee Chairman Baucus, the man who said he saw "a lot to like" in the two public option amendments proposed by Senators Rockefeller and Schumer, but voted no anyway.

The people in favor of a public alternative can't scrape up the millions of dollars Baucus has received from the health sector during his political career. In fact, over the last two decades, the current members of the entire finance committee have collected nearly $50 million in contributions from the health sector, a long-term investment that's now paying off like a busted slot machine.

Not that we should be surprised. A century ago, muckraking journalists reported that large corporations and other wealthy interests virtually owned the United States Senate -- using bribery, fraud and sometimes blackmail to get their way. Jokes were made about "the Senator from Union Pacific" or "the Senator from Standard Oil."

One reporter in particular was out to break their grip. His name was David Graham Phillips. One day in 1906, readers of Cosmopolitan Magazine opened its March issue to discover the first of nine articles by Phillips titled, "The Treason of the Senate."

He wrote, "Treason is a strong word, but not too strong, rather too weak, to characterize the situation which the Senate is the eager, resourceful, indefatigable agent of interests as hostile to the American people as any invading army could be, and vastly more dangerous: interests that manipulate the prosperity produced by all, so that it heaps up riches for the few; interests whose growth and power can only mean the degradation of the people, of the educated into sycophants, of the masses toward serfdom."

The public outrage provoked by Phillips and other muckrakers contributed to the ratification of the 17th amendment to the Constitution, providing for the direct popular election of senators, who until then were elected by easily bought-off state legislators.

Of course, like water seeking its own level, big money finds its way around every obstacle, and was soon up to its old tricks, filling the pockets of sympathetic and grateful politicians.

Today, none dare call it treason. So why not call it what it is -- a friendly takeover of government, a leveraged buyout of democracy.

Outrageous? You bet. But don't just get mad. Get busy.

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Bill Moyers is managing editor and Michael Winship is senior writer of the weekly public affairs program Bill Moyers Journal, which airs Friday night on PBS. Check local airtimes or comment at The Moyers Blog at www.pbs.org/moyers. Research provided by producer Gail Ablow and associate producer Julia Conley.

 

Comments

[Beca]

Everyone must stand up and be counted by writing and calling your representative daily if not weekly to remind them who they work for, and to remind them that we are watching and paying attention. And to demand that they only vote yes on a bill that has a strong Public Option that is available for all Americans.
Here is the thing that is critical. All bills have a mandatory requirement, meaning that it is mandatory that we all buy health insurance (thanks to the health insurance industry lobbyists) and if you don't buy health insurance, you will be fined a hefty penalty (another thanks to the corporate lobbyists). Now , not having a less expensive public option insurance plan to choose from, will mean that we will all be forced to continue to feed the beast that is destroying us and our democracy.
Having a mandatory requirement without a comprehensive public option plan is tantamount to mafia style extotrion--all authored by the new mafia, the health insurance industry.
So get busy now!! and make sure you take note who supports public option and who doesn't, and make sure everybody knows who doesn't support public option so we can all collectively help the voters of those states to votes those bums out of office.

[RichardSharp]

Money buys elections. Lies and vitriol work until it's too late. And between elections, politicians and bureaucrats lose sight of the public interest in favor of their own, or their paymasters.

[cavegal]

Here is a list of cities where mobilizations will occur on Thursday:
http://mobilizeforhealthcare.org/2009/10/13/list-of-october-15th-sit-ins/

The next day of action is October 28th. If you have not signed up to participate, please visit www.MobilizeForHealthCare.org and do so now.

There are two important single payer votes before the full House of Representatives. First, this week Rep. Anthony Weiner will be introducing an amendment on the House Floor to replace the current bill with a single payer system. Second, Rep. Dennis Kucinich's amendment, making it easier for state's to pass single payer, will also be voted on in the House. Write your representative to urge support for both these amendments and urge the House to not force people to buy overpriced insurance.

The Weiner Amendment is not expected to pass - there have been no hearings and little public discussion - but it is important that this vote receive as high a vote total as possible. The Kucinich Amendment faces a challenge to pass with the insurance corporations working hard to defeat it. But, both of these historic, first-ever votes on single payer health care give us a chance to see who our allies in Congress are and who are our opponents.

[LeftLeaner]

Why vote anymore, it's just become a mechanical exercise.

They've won, and it's so out in the open that no one even tries to conceal it.

[CitizenSoul]

So very true. It's sad that our country has been taken from us.

[RichardSharp]

Hey Citizen, you never had it.

[CitizenSoul]

Absolutely true. It's about time we did.

[Katayev]

Get busy doing what, though? This is one of the most frustrating parts of American politics, while any action taken on specific issues is generally made irrelevant by the systematic illness of the system, there is no clear path to addressing those same systematic problems. There's no structure in place for fundamental reform in the same way there is (however meaningless a structure it is) for human rights issues or broad-strokes Constitutional amendment, at least that I can see. I'd be very interested in hearing Mr. Moyers's analysis of the steps needed to stem the lobbyist tide.

[codycap]

Any serious effort to restore rule by the people would HAVE to be campaign reform.

"You work three jobs?... Uniquely American, isn't it? I mean, that is fantastic that you're doing that."-- George W. Bush, to a divorced mother of three, 2/4/05.

[HoraceOvidson]

So what if the health of tens of millions Americans is sacraficed so that a few select individuals can make stupendous amounts of money. We are quite happy to sit around smoking cigarettes and drinking beer. And I think I can speak confindently on behalf of 99.9 percent of the American people.

[andycan]

During the Clinton and Bush administrations, American and IMF officials constantly derided and hectored Third-World nations for "corruption", an insult full of contempt for the indigent and incompetent.

Yet, how much more corrupt is the American system with its legal lobbying and revolving door.

Democracy - the rhetorical club used to invade Irak and Afghanistan - is totally undermined in America by the lobbying system. The universal vote is literally cancelled by the huge bribes that the system provides for the elected representatives, one way or another.

Thank you Bill Moyers for pointing out how the health care legislation is about to be utterly gutted by institutionalized bribery. Let us hope that it is still possible to pass a less farcical, less crooked law.

[nolabels]

Thank you. Well done.

[RDixon]

In Washington, the Revolving Door Is Hazardous to My Wealth.

Every time a politician in DC has a thought or idea my bank account shrinks.

[DoctorH]

If we voters want a government that represents US, we need to search the country for honest people who are willing to run for Congress, on the platform that they will accept NO Special Interest Group campaign money and will work for campaign finance reform, such that the taxpayers will pay for political campaigns. Then the voters will supply the gold, and, if we are eternally vigilant enough, we can begin to make the rules. The chosen candidates should also be willing to work to enact laws that are in the best interests of the American people as a whole, rather than to grease the palms of their friends. They should also be willing to enact legislation to make this revolving door illegal.

If you "Don't vote for any incumbent" you still have to decide who to vote FOR, and it's important to make it a better person, so that you don't jump out of the frying pan into the fire. Also there's going to be a problem until we get all incumbents out because senior members of Congress have all the power now. So this would neede to be a strong effort to pitch out every single one of them out on their a**.

[mtdon]

and Baucus is Obama's point man on the health care "reform"..­......doin­g exactly what the president wants......and just think Obama could have been one of the truly great presidents like
FDR. Instead it appears Obama will be a Clinton-like president - defer to the corporate bosses and then cash in after the time in the oval office is done. Trading dollars for glory - the new american way!

FDR had the guts and courage to stand up to the corporate powers, and he had a few true progressives like francis perkins and harry hopkins - who by the way hired 3 million people in 6 weeks with only a 3% overhead cost. That means if 10 dollars was paid out the final worker got 9.70 of it. Slightly different from the KATRINA relief efforts where the job was billed out at 175.00 a hour - but got passed thru so many corporate hands that the person who actually did the work made about 8.50 an hour.

I believe that FDR had noblesse oblige - not much of that going around in the ayn rand upper class these days.....an upper class that will bankrupt the country to make an easy buck.

[nypoet22]

this is the obvious use of high-paying jobs to bribe government officials. the quid pro quo is beyond obvious, and the people who make the laws would never let the public interest get in the way of their own career options. my question is why can't the public circumvent this process by holding a national initiative to forbid former government officials from holding a paid position within any industry for which they wrote legislation.

[Beca]

That would be difficult, unless you have each state have a no-lobbyist proposition pass through the voters.
Or we can sue Congress for dereliction of duty, for not acting in the best interest of the American people, for conspiring with corporations against the best interests of the American people.

[William1950]

never again vote for any incumbant... ever.

[Bogstomper]

That's a good start.

[socalgal38]

Here is a few solutions. 1. form a union, 2. boycott the insurance company. 3. united demostration against the corruption. The problem we have is organizing. Everyone is on a different page.

The unions have helped us get better working conditions but haven't been so vocal lately. Michael Moore showed us what is wrong with this country it's time we the people made sure our voices are heard not just in the voting process but in direction actions.

Remember one thing once these politicians are in office they have benefits for life. The american people have to work 30 yrs for these kinds of benefits and the deck is stacked against us because now employers are getting rid of people before they reach the 30 yrs.

I don't understand why all this is coming out in the open and the Justice Department isn't doing anything. What are people afraid of? Do we want to be slaves all our lives? We have nothing to loose but everything to gain if we stood up and did something.