Why healthcare reform is so difficult to pass

[Chris]

Health providers, insurers and pharmaceutical companies have taken multiple approaches to winning over the federal lawmakers shaping the legislation. The health sector boosted its campaign contributions compared to the last presidential cycle, to $167.7 million in 2008 from $123.7 million in 2004. The various health industries have also steadily increased their lobbying efforts, from $448.1 million in 2007 to $484.4 million in 2008. So far this year, the sector has paid lobbyists $126.8 million to do its bidding on Capitol Hill. And those expenditures will only increase as the chairs of the five main committees working on health care legislation continue to iron out the details: Will the plan include a government insurance option? Will Congress mandate that all individuals, including the 47 million that are currently uninsured, purchase health insurance? And where will the money come from to pay for the reforms? The health sector--which includes some industries that are diametrically opposed to one another in their answers to these questions--eclipses all other sectors but the financial sector in lobbying spending since 1998, putting $3.4 billion into its efforts.

OpenSecrets | Diagnosis: Reform - Capital Eye

 

[Political Junky]

Health providers, insurers and pharmaceutical companies have taken multiple approaches to winning over the federal lawmakers shaping the legislation. The health sector boosted its campaign contributions compared to the last presidential cycle, to $167.7 million in 2008 from $123.7 million in 2004. The various health industries have also steadily increased their lobbying efforts, from $448.1 million in 2007 to $484.4 million in 2008. So far this year, the sector has paid lobbyists $126.8 million to do its bidding on Capitol Hill. And those expenditures will only increase as the chairs of the five main committees working on health care legislation continue to iron out the details: Will the plan include a government insurance option? Will Congress mandate that all individuals, including the 47 million that are currently uninsured, purchase health insurance? And where will the money come from to pay for the reforms? The health sector--which includes some industries that are diametrically opposed to one another in their answers to these questions--eclipses all other sectors but the financial sector in lobbying spending since 1998, putting $3.4 billion into its efforts.

OpenSecrets | Diagnosis: Reform - Capital Eye

 

[KittenKoder]

As long as the FDA controls them ... they like having organized crime legalized.

 

[Chris]

$3.4 BILLION dollars in donations.

It's a national disgrace.

This is the reason our healthcare is so expensive and so unfair.

 

[Skull Pilot]

maybe people don't want our cancer survival rates to drop to the levels of countries with government health care.

 

[Chris]

maybe people don't want our cancer survival rates to drop to the levels of countries with government health care.

Most cancer patients are over 65 and using Medicare.

Thanks for proving my point.

 

[Skull Pilot]

maybe people don't want our cancer survival rates to drop to the levels of countries with government health care.

Most cancer patients are over 65 and using Medicare.

Thanks for proving my point.

link ?

 

[Chris]

maybe people don't want our cancer survival rates to drop to the levels of countries with government health care.

Most cancer patients are over 65 and using Medicare.

Thanks for proving my point.

link ?

http://seer.cancer.gov/csr/1975_2003/results_single/sect_01_table.11_2pgs.pdf

 

[Political Junky]

http://www.airfarceone.net/antirepubs2/axis-of-med-evil-smallver.gif