Health care reform, AKA Obamacare, has suffered a setback.
(Y'all know my opinion---yeah for us taxpayers!!!)
The not-so-clean White House dealings appeared to have backfired.
First, with health care powers-that-be (including the American Medical Association, the Federation of American Hospitals and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America) appears to have backfired. Earlier in the year, in April, aides to President Obama and Senator Baucus met with these groups and asked for their help, in what proved to be the launching of a pro-health care reform ad campaign. While the aides apparently didn't ask directly for money, millions of dollars have been asked for and given by these groups for lobbying and advertisements.
And, interestly, the Pharmaceutical group, after donating, was given a pass by the proposed health care reforms so that drug prices would not be decreased by the federal government.
Hmmmmm.....
Meanwhile, back at the ranch---since health insurance companies finally figured out that Obamacare would put them out of business and have fought back with studies showing that the Baucus Bill would raise our health insurance premiums (studies, incidentally, that are supported by other research)---President Obama has decried these results as "bogus" and "deceptive", "smoke and mirrors".
And threatened the health insurance companies with repealing the anti-trust protections that this industry now enjoys. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/18/us/politics/18address.html
And then, to top it all off, White House chief of staff Rahm Emmanuel and Senator Harry Reid put together a proposal to increase Medicare payments to doctors by 247 "B" as in billion dollars to gain doctors' support for Obamacare. And this was voted on separately from the Baucus Bill, so as not to run the official cost of health care reform even higher.
Well, despite all these shenanigans, it didn't work.
Senator Reid was only able to garner 47 votes of the 60 votes needed to 'pay off' the doctors in te Senate.
All Republicans voted 'Nay'.
Democrats Voting 'Nay' include:
Sen. Bayh D-IN
Sen. Byrd D-WV
Sen. Conrad D-ND
Sen. Dorgan D-ND
Sen. Feingold D-WI
Sen. Kohl D-WI
Sen. McCaskill D-MO
Sen. Nelson D-FL
Sen. Tester D-MT
Sen. Warner D-VA
Sen. Webb D-VA
Sen. Wyden D-OR
And independent Sen. Lieberman I-CT.
Why not write a letter and thank them for standing for honesty and fiscal responsibility?
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