Advice for Obama: Reinvent government as partner, not parent - TwinCities.com

Advice for Obama: Reinvent government as partner, not parent - TwinCities.com: "The big three health risks — smoking, poor diet and lack of exercise — occur outside the organized health care system. Care of the chronically ill is done mostly by families. What if we reboot our thinking about health care as primarily the work of individuals, families and communities, with health care professionals and institutions as partners, consultants and sometimes interveners in this important communal task?"

Drugmakers Push Free-Market System in Face of Obama's Health Care Reform

Drugmakers Push Free-Market System in Face of Obama's Health Care Reform

Drugmakers Push Free-Market System in Face of Obama's Health Care Reform
As the "first salvo in what likely will be a huge battle over health care reform during the Obama presidency," Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) is launching a multimillion-dollar campaign that advocates for a free-market system in order to "undercut an expected push by the Obama administration for price controls of prescription drugs," reports the Washington Times.
President-elect Barack Obama's plan to allow the federal government to negotiate the price of drugs under Medicare could cost drug manufacturers $10 billion to $30 billion in annual revenues, according to the Boston Consulting Group. "If you start to take a pretty big price decrease out of that large market, it has an enormous impact on drug companies and really their ability to generate their type of shareholder return that they have had in the past," said Peter Lawyer of Boston Consulting. As a result, drugmakers could charge more for drugs overall and could have less money to spend on research and development, according to Lawyer.
The Washington Times compares the PhRMA campaign to the "Harry and Louise" TV ads that attacked President Bill Clinton's health care reform plan in 1993. "The lobbying group Health Insurance Association of America, which ran the ads, spent $10 million on the campaign," which was "widely credited as playing a key role in killing the plan." But PhRMA, the nation's largest pharmaceutical lobbying group, claims that its campaign does not criticize Obama's proposals but rather is "designed to make people aware of the importance of preserving your free-market health care system," said Ken Johnson, senior vice president of PhRMA.
Up until now, drugmakers have taken a "wait-and-see approach to Mr. Obama's pending health care reforms." In fact, they gave more than $1.6 million to the Obama campaign, which is almost triple the amount given to the Republican contender, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). PhRMA also recognizes that "some reforms are needed in order to keep that system vibrant," according to Johnson. Still, the organization's expensive public relations campaign "indicates that the industry is leaving nothing to chance," reports the Times. (Lengell, Washington Times, 11/14/08)

Health Insurers Prime for New Business With Democratic Rule - WSJ.com

Health Insurers Prime for New Business With Democratic Rule - WSJ.com
Not a surprise that the insurance industry is salivating at the chance to milk the public coffers even drier than they have all ready. They lose business every day to big employers who can't afford their prices and go the self insured route. They now make most of their profits off the public programs and all their millions in lobbying efforts are really paying off -- look at the subsidy they get for the Medicare Advantage Plans and for Part D.

AARP stops selling some UNH health insurance plans

AARP stops selling some UNH health insurance plans
Conflict of Interest
I will not join AARP! They sell insurance and therefore can not give us good advice or fair representation politically. They are in the pocket and under the control of the second largest health insurance company in the nation -- UnitedHealth. That is the place that pays its exec well over 100 million to NOT provide health care -- to deny health care. That is the place that dumps poor people out of hospitals in LA still in their hospital gowns onto the doorsteps of the nearest homeless shelters. That is the place that WASTES 30% of every health care dollar you pay into the system. Message to AARP -- Please stop pretending you care about me -- you only care about the money the big corporations are giving you. Stop that and maybe I'll consider becoming a member. Right now you are an enemy of retired people. Look in the mirror -- you have become your own worst enemy.

Obama Does Support Single Payer!

Senator opens investigation into AARP insurance

Senator opens investigation into AARP insurance
These are some of the reasons why I think AARP should get out of the cozy relationship with UnitedHealth and get out of the business of selling insurance. How can we trust their opinions and trust them to represent us if all they are doing is pleasing the biggest and worst health insurance company in the country? They should be helping to get the insurance industry out of the system, not be part and parcel of the profit hording part of the system that leaves us patients at the end of the food chain.

Is health care a right or a privilege?

Joe Orso: Is health care a right or a privilege? : La Crosse Tribune#blogcomments#blogcomments#blogcomments

This links to a great article. The St. Clare Health Mission does wonderful work. But the message about the need to treat health care as a right is most important.