Health Care Industry in Talks to Shape Policy

By Robert Pear
The New York Times
February 19, 2009

Since last fall, many of the leading figures in the nation’s long-running health care debate have been meeting secretly in a Senate hearing room. Now, with the blessing of the Senate’s leading proponent of universal health insurance, Edward M. Kennedy, they appear to be inching toward a consensus that could reshape the debate.

The 20 people who regularly attend the meetings on Capitol Hill include lobbyists for AARP, Aetna, the A.F.L.-C.I.O., the American Cancer Society, the American Medical Association, America’s Health Insurance Plans, the Business Roundtable, Easter Seals, the National Federation of Independent Business, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, and the United States Chamber of Commerce.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/20/us/politics/20health.html?ref=politics

What?! In this time of transparency and Change, when we have an open window of opportunity to finally fix our very sick health care system, we are reverting to a closed door process dominated by the most powerful lobbyists in the nation whose interests take precedence over the American patient?!

Robert Pear reports that they are inching toward a consensus, but read his description of the memorandum prepared by director of the health staff of Senator Kennedy’s Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. They have agreed on almost nothing. “…the sense of the room is that an individual obligation to purchase insurance should be part of reform…” is as close as they have come, and, even there, there is no agreement on what that coverage should be and on how you would enforce it.

At best, this process can end only with recommendations for a few tweaks in our system, just as the window slams shut and everyone walks out.

Have these people no decency?!

A few in the room do, but they are overpowered by those who… Well, you know. People can go broke and die for all they care, as long as we keep our public institutions out of their private businesses.

Stall and walk out. How’s that for CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN?