Health care lobbyists jockey for position
President Obama wants a plan for health care reform before Congress goes on recess. There is a lot of talk about how the changes will help patients and doctors, but lobbyists are controlling the discussion thus far. Steven Henn reports.
Dr. Maura Shea looks through an otoscope during an examination of patient Michelo Cineas at the Codman Square Health Center in Dorchester, Mass. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
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KAI RYSSDAL: Congress has about 15 working days left before it heads out of town for summer vacation. Not a whole lot of time to overhaul an industry that's about 20 percent of the entire economy. The later the date gets the higher the political stakes get. Hence the appearance in the Oval Office by the president this afternoon.
Pres. Barack Obama: I've said that health insurance reform cannot add to our deficit over the next decade. And I mean it. Let me repeat, health insurance reform cannot add to our deficit over the next decade and I mean it.
No small promise, considering a health care overhaul could cost anywhere between one and one and a half trillion dollars over the next ten years. But here's the dirty little secret: For all the political talk about people and their doctors, this whole health care debate? It's not really about you.
Marketplace's Steve Henn reports.
Steve Henn: Remember Harry and Louise? That TV couple helped kill the Clinton's healthcare reform bill in the 90s. Well, they're back -- but this time there's a twist.
Harry: Looks like we may finally get healthcare reform. Louise: It's about time.
Harry and Louise are now for overhauling the healthcare system. And their ads are being paid for in part by big drug companies. But wasn't overhauling healthcare was supposed to be a bitter pill? Well, it turns out drug companies like this bill.
John Sheils: It's quite and expansion in coverage.
John Sheils is health care analyst at the Lewin Group.
Sheils: That means a big increase in the number of people who will have access to prescription drug.
And that's big money. And the pharmaceutical industry's not giving much up. Importing drugs from Canada is off the table. And the Senate's giving new biotech drugs 12 years of freedom from generic competition.
Lobbyists for doctors and hospitals are also elbowing for concessions and getting them. Doctor's fees won't be subject to automatic price caps. Right now, the only industry that's really unhappy is insurers.
Stuart Butler: Insurance industry faces potential extinction, to be honest.
Stuart Bulter at the Heritage foundation says the publicly run insurance plan that's in the House Bill could force most private insurers out of business. But for now at least, nothing is final. Instead, the healthcare overhaul is a lobbying free for all.
But wait.
Henn: I think we left out patients. Sheils: Oh, they always get left out.
In Washington I'm Steve Henn for Marketplace.
Comments
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From Farmersville, IL, 07/22/2009
two things that make me wonder.
1.) if the money that insurance companies is free speech where do i sign up for some of that free speech?
2.) can i sue my insurance company for spending my premium money to speak freely about a subject i am totally against?
From MN, 07/20/2009
Michael - what in the world are you talking about. Docs and 'the rich' killing you? Maybe they aren't saving 'you' on their dime, but I don't think anyone is getting 'killed'. I agree with the basic idea however, that we are spending plenty on health care collectively as a nation and the challenge should be to take that 16% of GDP spent on healthcare and cover more people and slow down costs dramatically (to the rate of economic growth). BUT - specialists don't want to take a hit (first year radiologists make $500k in MN), hospitals don't want someone telling them they can't open the fourth metro cardiac or uber modern birthing unit, and pharma wants to bend you over for the last drug with Govt interference..... I guess the only thing all these players agree on is that someone 'else' should pay to cover more people and the system should just keep growing. That should be one thing that Obama and his supporters agree is NOT acceptable. But will they? Perhaps the Govt should say -- here's a public insurance policy, this is what is covered and this is what we'll pay. You - Mr. Radiologist, don't need to participate (it's a free country), but then we aren't paying you. Same for Mr. Lipitor and Mr. Healthsouth..... socialized medicine? Yea, I guess. But there will still be private clinics for those that want to pay for the latest and greatest.
From mt. clemens, MI, 07/19/2009
Why are lobbyists even considered or included in the talks? Why isn't pharmaceutical companies not taking a hit on pricing? If the working people have to take a hit, which they have to their detriment, why are doctors, Pharma, hospitals not taking a hit? Pharma does not need to advertise their wares on television in fact, it's unethical. That's a hundred billion dollars right there! It's time to bring the CEO's back to earth. How much money is enough for them? Obama and congress needs to put their collective foot down. Enough is enough! Take criminal behavior out of the equation! Get rid of the lobbyists! Why should doctors, CEO's of Pharma, insurance companies have mansions,yachts, and extreme life styles why we are suffering? Stop the madness. Stop the rich from killing us. How much is enough?
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