Robert Reich: "Will Obama Stand Up To Lobbyists And Insurers To Give Americans A Public Option?"

[Better Believe It]

The healthcare war has officially begun
Will Obama stand up to lobbyists and insurers to give Americans a needed public option?
By Robert Reich
Salon.com
June 12, 2009

Wednesday the American Medical Association came out against a public option for healthcare. The President has reaffirmed his support for it. The next weeks will show what Obama is made of -- whether he's willing and able to take on the most formidable lobbying coalition he has faced so far on an issue that will define his presidency.

And make no mistake: A public option large enough to have bargaining leverage to drive down drug prices and private-insurance premiums is the defining issue of universal healthcare. It's the only way to make healthcare affordable. It's the only way to prevent Medicare and Medicaid from eating up future federal budgets. An ersatz public option -- whether Kent Conrad's non-profit cooperatives, Olympia Snowe's "trigger," or regulated state-run plans -- won't do squat.

The last president to successfully take on the giant healthcare lobbies was LBJ. He got Medicare and Medicaid enacted because he weighed into the details, twisted congressional arms, threatened and cajoled, drew lines in the sand, and went to war against the AMA and the other giant lobbyists standing in the way. The question now is how much LBJ is in Barack Obama.

The big guns are out and they're firing. All major lobbying firms in Washington -- many of them brimming with ex-members of Congress -- are now crawling all over the Hill. Lots of money is on the table. AMA's political action committee has contributed $9.8 million to congressional candidates since 2000, and its lobbying arm is one of the most formidable on the Hill. Meanwhile, Big Insurance and Big Pharma are increasing their firepower. The five largest private insurers and their trade group America's Health Insurance Plans spent a total of $6.4 million on lobbying in the first quarter of this year, up more than $1 million from the first quarter last year, and are spending even more now. United Health Group spent $1.5 million in the first quarter, up 34 percent from the $1.1 million it spent in the first quarter last year. Aetna spent $809,793 between January and the end of March, up 41 percent from last year. Pfizer, the world's biggest drugmaker, spent more than $6.1 million on lobbying between January and March, more than double what it spent last year. It also spent nearly $3.3 million lobbying in the fourth quarter of 2008. Every one of them is upping their spending.

Some congressional Democrats are willing and able to stand up to this barrage. Many are not. They need cover from the White House.

http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2009/06/12/reich/

[Thrill]

1. I'm sure he'll try. But he already has Democrats caving

.

[Better Believe It]

2. Some advice from Robert Reich on how to help make a difference

"The President can't do this alone. You must weigh in and get everyone you know to weigh in, too. Bombard your senators and representatives. Organize and mobilize others. And let the White House know how strongly you feel."

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

7. Obama promised transparency, hearings - but what is a hearing without single payer?

We need that discussion in both senate and house, and we need Baucus GONE.

[Peacetrain]

3. As long as we get stop assuming that one person can carry all the water

for us, and move ourselves by contacting our congress people,we might get something. My biggest fear is people will just sit on their haunches and wait for it to be delivered to them without any action on their part

[cyclezealot]

4. True. When the people lead, the politicans will follow

Should the public not give a crap. Most Politicans will follow money. (Lobbyists.) And if they don't give a crap, they get what they deserve.

[avaistheone1]

5. I want to believe that. But the bank bailout proved that very wrong.

[cyclezealot]

10. Yes. It's an uphill battle.

But, to leave someone who we elected; out there alone to stand by our interests. We should abandon them.. For all that, we need pressure to keep his/her agenda on course. Let alone pressure our opponents to make it happen.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

6. our economy can't afford not to get single payer

we can't compete and these health care issues create more bankruptcies
and also endanger hospitals who get stuck with the bill for those desperate enough to seek
treatment without funds.

[nichomachus]

8. He hasn't stood up to anyone up to now. Why break with tradition?

[solstice]

11. So true.

[slipslidingaway]

9. The big guns had seats at the WH summit and Congressional

hearings, those who are being silenced advocate for the most universal and cost effective system.

So much for the committment to bringing all voices to the table, imagine if P. Obama had invited and then called upon a SPHC advocate to speak??? We might have a strong public option in the HC bill.

:silly:


After threatened protests and calls to the WH, this is the doctor who was finally invited to the WH summit, he was not called upon to speak.


Dr. Oliver Fein reports on the White House health summit

http://www.pnhp.org/blog/2009/03/09/dr-oliver-fein-reports-on-the-white-house-health-summit/

"...Besides the lawmakers, it is interesting to note which organizational leaders he called on to make statements. These included Karen Ignagni, president of America’s Health Insurance Plans; Dan Danner, president of the National Federation of Independent Businesses; and Ted Epperly, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians. A few other audience members were called on for statements, including Fredette West, president of Racial and Ethnic Disparities Health Coalition, and Irwin Redliner (a recently mentioned candidate for U.S. surgeon general) from National Center for Disaster Preparedness at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.

What was my role in all of this? Despite my best efforts, I was unable to make a public statement at the meeting, although thanks to the PNHP staff in Chicago we were able distribute my prepared remarks to the media while the summit was under way. Our staff member in Washington, Danielle Alexander, also handed out hard copies to summit participants as they left the White House.

I took the opportunity to talk one-on-one with six senators and seven representatives and suggested that if their committees held hearings on health reform, at least one or two single-payer advocates should be included on the hearing panel. I also said that single-payer bills like H.R. 676 should be compared with all other proposals for health care reform by the Congressional Budget Office. There was considerable receptivity to these ideas among some of the Congress members. We will pursue these leads..."