It is an odd turn of events that the Democrats are attempting to force through a bill that bolsters big business. Make no mistake, the health care reform bill, dubbed ObamaCare, currently being forced on America, is a boon to private health insurers.
Barack Obama meeting with health care honchos last May.
At the beginning of the debate last fall the Guardian wrote an article about the influence of lobbying over the health care reform process. From the article:
America’s healthcare industry has spent hundreds of millions of dollars to block the introduction of public medical insurance and stall other reforms promised by Barack Obama. The campaign against the president has been waged in part through substantial donations to key politicians.
Supporters of radical reform of healthcare say legislation emerging from the US Senate reflects the financial power of vested interests ‑ principally insurance companies, pharmaceutical firms and hospitals ‑ that have worked to stop far-reaching changes threatening their profits.
The industry and interest groups have spent $380m (£238m) in recent months influencing health care legislation through lobbying, advertising and in direct political contributions to members of Congress.
That was in October when a “public option” was on the table. Fast forward six months and we still have health reform on the table, but this time with no public option. However, a mandate for private citizens to buy a product from private companies under the threat of the power of government is on the table. It looks like the $380 million was well spent.
Health insurers have gotten exactly what they want. Obama publicly lambasting Anthem Blue Cross is just misdirection the likes of which would make Penn and Teller proud. Millions of new customers, many with subsidies from Uncle Sam. Who cares about pre-existing conditions at that point?
Who would have thought that the Democrats were such water carriers for big business? Times have definitely changed.
Related posts:
- Democrats Play Politics With Payroll Tax
- No, They Couldn’t? Obama pulls plug on part of health overhaul law
- Democrats Outfox Republicans Again
John Romano is the publisher and editor of Yes, But However!, a musician, a former political correspondent for BBC Radio London, and a serial web entrepreneur. Follow him on twitter: twitter.com/yesbuthowever or John Romano on Google+John Romano article archive.
