Boehner creates GOP health care task force stacked with industry-tied lawmakers.
Boehner creates GOP health care task force stacked with industry-tied lawmakers.
In an effort to combat its “party of no” image, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) announced the creation of a task force that will devise “free-market solutions” to health care and highlight the “consequences” of a “government-dominated health care bureaucracy.” CQ reports that “House Republicans will neither defer to Democrats nor simply try to obstruct them” on health care and notes the heavy influence of industry on the members:
The group’s members are friendly with the health care industry — together, they collected nearly $3 million in campaign contributions from health care political action committees in 2007-08. All but five of the 16 took more than $100,000 from health care PACs.
The panel will be chaired by Rep. Roy Blunt (R-MO) who once bragged about blocking the expansion of SCHIP.
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Joke.
¶ AIO
February 5th, 2009 at 12:12 pmThat’s cute. Boehner thinks the GOP has anything to offer America on health care.
or anything.
Isn’t that just precious?
February 5th, 2009 at 12:14 pmThe “free market” is what is WRONG with American health care. We are not impressed.
February 5th, 2009 at 12:15 pmThat’s not much different from the WhiteHouse Strategy, izzit?
Daschle was an industry whore…now there’s talk of appointing a blueDawg, Cooper, to the post.
Waddaphuque?
February 5th, 2009 at 12:15 pmThis is like the commission to study privatizing social security. Virtually all the commission members were in favor of it.
February 5th, 2009 at 12:16 pmAtta boy Boehner. You and your Regressives hunker down with healthcare bigwigs and come up with a plan. Maybe you will be too busy to throw your daily monkeywrenches into the work that the adults on the Hill are trying to do. Does this idiot actually think that Republicans can be part of the solution?? His plan should solve our pressing healthcare issues about as well as Cheney’s industry-laden energy task force has helped solve all of our energy problems. Who says that Republicans don’t do humor?
February 5th, 2009 at 12:19 pm“free-market solutions”??? That’s exactly what got us into the economic crisis we’re in now, all of the “solutions” provided by these Friedmanites.
Free market approaches like this routinely result in fewer players on the field so that only the well-connected providers survive. So I can see it now — after Boner and his “task force” are done, their “solutions” will include privatizing the entire health care system which devolves into fewer and fewer providers being available, ultimately leaving a handful of for-profit megacorporations running the entire health care system in this country, and resulting in me and my family paying $3500 for each prescription drug we take and $500 for each visit we make to the doctor’s office for a routine checkup.
No thanks, Boner — I’ll stick with the plan already outlined by those who live in the real world…
February 5th, 2009 at 12:19 pmZero Says:
So, Daschle did get a job somewhere, good for him, I was worried how he was going to get driven around.
__________
So, can we trust you’re NOT on the side of affordable healthcare for all here?
You see no problem w/ making money by denying people health care… cool.
February 5th, 2009 at 12:23 pmFor-profit healthcare is an abomination and a regressive business holdover from the dark ages. The notion that a clerical flunky halfway across the country can arbitrarily make life-or-death decisions, (and cut a bonus check for saving the corporation money) is simply horrific. That the public accepts it as a normal matter of course is surreal.
No advanced civilization, no self-described ‘christian nation’ would embrace profiting on sickness and death. The US is #37 in healthcare and #41 in press freedom. We are not the ‘good guys.’
The current ‘health’ insurance system is so threatening, so monolithically oligarchical and closed, so symbiotically aligned against their own subscribers as to render any fairness or humanity at odds with such a system.
The theories about ’spreading the risk’ remains only a theory in the harsh glare of pecuniary slash-and-burn policy which requires human anguish to sustain a profit motive. That is not an enlightened choice for a society purportedly seeking to clothe itself in moralistic imagery.
Insurance companies are far from ‘healthy,’ particularly in light of their numerous and varied activities to hasten the erosion of any opposition or threat to their symbiont shakedown in a cornered market/monopoly. These very insurance corporations that strive to remain ‘healthy’ by cloaking their stock market losses in the oily obscurantism of out-of-control malpractice cost accusations in order to raise their rates several-fold and, accordingly, reduce real protections for individual doctors and treatments for their patients. As you can easily surmise, this gambit leads to ballooning malpractice rates.
The loser is, of course, the consumer who is reduced to picking whatever scraps remain in the back alley after such a market orgy of unregulated manipulation and back-scratching cronyism. And after such elaborate game rigging, only after the table is set does the true vampiric nature of the industry emerge to sustain itself on a necessary consequence of human existence. Few other industries wield the power of life or death with such benighted cooperation from the populace. Only a war or the highways take more annual lives, and those do not discriminate based on worth or bank account. Fewer still are the entities who pride themselves on accumulating money from resultant deaths and the cost savings by denial of medical assistance, even awarding bonuses based, essentially, on how many of their promised and paid-for services they have withheld.
Were I to veer into the banalities of religion, surely such an enterprise would qualify as unholy.
February 5th, 2009 at 12:23 pmI really thought that after January 20th I’d stop hearing news that threatened to make my head explode. Well, the Republican’t party is obviously taking up that task. Hasn’t the magic of the Market done enough for the world markets? Are they that Completly Clueless or just reflexively against Any legislation that won’t improve the lives of the have-mores? Steve Martin said it best, ” I believe the Republican party can return this great country to what it once was, a barren wasteland covered with ice.”
February 5th, 2009 at 12:24 pmZero sez his username
February 5th, 2009 at 12:27 pmKucinich for HHS Sec.
Nobody anywhere seems to be discussing eliminating insurance perdators from health care.
Why is that?
I realize Boner is just staging his usual diversionary tactics here, but why aren’t Dems seeing this through a ‘reality lens’?
Right now is the time to oust brokers from our health access. 5% of the total ARARA would cover all Americans’ health costs. We must stop cancervative ideology to move forward. Health costs are crippling employers, individuals and the Federal Gov’t. Let’s get this right this time.
Remember when it used to be ‘Buy American’?
Now it’s become ‘Bye, American’.
February 5th, 2009 at 12:28 pmPiss off, Boner. You freemarket phuckateers have had 30 years to do something about healthcare. Now fall in line with a real plan or get out of the way.
February 5th, 2009 at 12:32 pmAs a small business owner who has been denied healthcare (in the past) and have none for myself or family (at present) I find this repulsive.
February 5th, 2009 at 12:32 pmIt’s time to get tough with the aholes. I’ve written many times to my Senators and Congressmen and all I’ve gotten for my toubles is audited. Any suggestions?
and here I thought the repubs were clueless before.
Their party has been whittled down until only the core proselytizers remain. Gotta have a message worth hearing for that to work.
It’s actually painful and quite pathetic to watch them get more extreme and less reasonable in their approach rather than take a lesson and improve their positions to be be more in touch with Americans.
February 5th, 2009 at 12:34 pmWhat ectoendomezo just said…great post, hanshiro!
February 5th, 2009 at 12:34 pmNo advanced civilization, no self-described ‘christian nation’ would embrace profiting on sickness and death. The US is #37 in healthcare and #41 in press freedom. We are not the ‘good guys.’
We’re also #1 in illegal aggressions, in inflicting ‘collateral damage,’ in innocent civilians killed, maimed, and displaced, in guns exported to Mexico, in soooooMANY things, it makes a fella PROUD to be a Murkin!
February 5th, 2009 at 12:34 pmSounds like Medicare Part D all over again.
¶ AIO
February 5th, 2009 at 12:35 pmPrivate health care, by definition, means that the company is responsible for making money for its shareholders first and foremost. By definition, human health, safety, and lives take a back seat to profits.
That is a problem.
February 5th, 2009 at 12:37 pmFree Market Solutions = Rape the American Public.
Fcuk the Republicans
February 5th, 2009 at 12:38 pmZimzone Says:
…great post, hanshiro!
hanshiro is one of the best!
¶ AIO
February 5th, 2009 at 12:39 pmOnly the Repugs would come up with idea of having business professionals deciding what is best for health care. Of course they want market driven decisions, its one of their best cash cows. The idea that clerks worried about their jobs are making medical decisions is both obscene and criminal.
February 5th, 2009 at 12:41 pmLine my pockets with worthless IOU’s and I will care not about humanities suffering -Average Politician
February 5th, 2009 at 12:42 pmNumber 1 in people incarcerated for non violent crimes, In fact number 1 in people incarcerated compared to the rest of the world combined. Have to keep those privitized prisons making money.
February 5th, 2009 at 12:42 pmAt the risk of being too verbose:
They were also correct about the war…
February 5th, 2009 at 12:42 pmThank you for the kind words, all.
February 5th, 2009 at 12:44 pmAs much as I’d like to see Kucinich for HHS, he’d never get confirmed. GOP would scream “Communist! Hyper-Partisan!” and sidetrack the discussion by focusing on his movements to impeach Bush and Cheney, while the Dems view him as an obstructionist.
Nominating him for HHS will keep him from launching a primary challenge in 2012, though…
February 5th, 2009 at 12:50 pmThe Republican’ts had 12 years— from 1994 to 2006 in which to try to fix the health care mess. They punted. And NOW they put together a task force to address “Free-market” solutions?
These people make me sick. Can’t be bothered to lift a finger for the 40 million people in this country without health care and now all they still want to do is help their buddies in the industry.
No wonder the only thing the Republican’ts can say is “just say ‘no’ ” to every darn thing.
February 5th, 2009 at 12:50 pmI submit that all non-medical types who want to make rules about medical things be required to spend 6 months working as an aide in a hospital.
I wish I had sufficient callous to say they should also have a family member suffer a debilitating illness but if it happens to them…kismet.
February 5th, 2009 at 12:50 pmHanshiro, keep up the good work.
February 5th, 2009 at 12:51 pmAnd yet the glorious Obama sees fit to appease this group of political neanderthals with tax cuts and other gifts to Big Business.
http://www.sunstateactivist.org/ssablog/
February 5th, 2009 at 12:55 pmWashington D.C.:
And in a similar move, senate republicans appointed Mr. Big Bad Wolf to accompany Little Red riding Hood through the woods to grandmothers house.
February 5th, 2009 at 12:58 pmWhere to begin.. or add?….
hanshiro — SUPERLATIVE POST!!!!! Frame that.
And, as usual, the repugs can only see a “with us or against us” world. Thier options, as they put it, are to DEFER to the dems (which they refuse to do) or to be obstructionists (which they ARE, but they want to change that image). Hmmm… hey… retards…. ever hear of COMPROMISE? Ever hear of the REAL definition of BIPARTIZAN (hint: it does NOT mean “defer to”)? Ever consider that what is important is the welfare of the PEOPLE of this country, and that NO BUSINESS or COPRORATION is a real person (no matter what your beloved “corporate personhood” allows in courts)?
No to all the above? I figured.
So — the republican leaders, who wer in charge for 8 years, and whose policies in that period have led to the IMMENSE disaster the country is in now, have NOTHING but the SAME OLD failed ideas? Tax breaks for companies and the rich will save the economy, they cry. Free market health care will be the solution, they proclaim. Funny, but we’ve heard it all before. Most of it you got through, to some degree or other, over the last 8 years. Where did that lead us?
Oh, right. Republicans/conservatives hate America and want America to fail. And they want to rob it in the process, and laugh as the people are thrown into the streets, family and all, to starve and freeze to death. “compassionate conservatism” — just code word for “I got mine, screw you”.
Their think tank has already produced its conclusions — they are right above: the solution is privatized health care, and the danger is government run health care. Must be nice: you have the conclusion already, all you need to do is manufacture some “proof” to validate the conclusion you have already arrived at. This is the same kind of back -@sswards thinking that brought us, “The earth is the center of the universe”. An ideological based conclusion, and then work backwards to try to “prove” it. Which is about as UN scientific as one can get. that is not intelligent reasoning. It is rationalizing.
I’m done with ‘em. The Republicans/conservatives ARE the primary enemy of America. They want to destroy this country so that they can create their fascist-theocracy. They all need to be investigated thoroughly, and punished to the maximum extent of the law for their wrongdoings (to include treason — and limbaugh and kristal and all the other traitors as well). This crap is just pissing off more and more people. keep it up, traitors.
February 5th, 2009 at 1:04 pmYou can put lip stick on a pig but, it’s still a pig!
February 5th, 2009 at 1:04 pmOh, right. Republicans/conservatives hate America and want America to fail. And they want to rob it in the process, and laugh as the people are thrown into the streets, family and all, to starve and freeze to death. “compassionate conservatism” — just code word for “I got mine, screw you”.
I think they’re just indifferent.
As long as they retain relatively the same internal power, they don’t give a bucket of war shit about the rest of us.
But the Dims are exactly the same. Doubt it? Then explain the last two years…
February 5th, 2009 at 1:08 pmIt will be impossible for them to come up with an affordable “free market” solution to covering all Americans, so they will be fighting a losing battle.
The approach the Obama Administration needs to take is to promote the idea that health care in the United States is a right and not a privilege. We are the only industrialized nation that still operates such that health care is a privilege.
February 5th, 2009 at 1:09 pmThe gop see health care as a privilege, not a right. That’s how you justify profits over people and push this imaginary ‘free market’.
February 5th, 2009 at 1:11 pmtokin librul Says:
Oh, right. Republicans/conservatives hate America and want America to fail. And they want to rob it in the process, and laugh as the people are thrown into the streets, family and all, to starve and freeze to death. “compassionate conservatism” — just code word for “I got mine, screw you”.
I think they’re just indifferent.
As long as they retain relatively the same internal power, they don’t give a bucket of war shit about the rest of us.
I think you are wrong. I think that the Republicant’s have a plan for this country failing. If this country goes bankrupt, we will be forced to sell off our assets and privatize the government. And that is exactly what they are waiting for.
February 5th, 2009 at 1:11 pmThe only reason ‘bi-partisanship’ is at all ‘possible’ is because, at base, the two parties are in essential sympathy in their ends, differing meaningfully only in them means employed to achieve them…
February 5th, 2009 at 1:13 pmRight in one, Bilbo.
February 5th, 2009 at 1:13 pmIf this country goes bankrupt, we will be forced to sell off our assets and privatize the government. And that is exactly what they are waiting for.
If true–and I’m not saying you’re wrong–it jsut means the Dims are in the same boat…
Pukes just shove it in; Dims give you a little foreplay or some lube…
February 5th, 2009 at 1:16 pmtokin librul Says:
But the Dims are exactly the same. Doubt it? Then explain the last two years…
I think that indifference is too kind a word: no, they actually despise the American people.
I don’t think the dems are the same — but there are some of them who would like to be, yet can’t bring themselves QUITE as low and dishonest as the repugs. The last two years: fear, mainly. I do go with the whole “spineless” charge against them. They did not stand up, they did not fight, nor even dig in their heels. They were bullied, and they ALLOWED themselves to be bullied. And, yes, for some of them it is because they wanted a piece of the sweet corporate pie (baked in an oven made of the bones of recently deceased Americans). But the dems are not all the same as the repugs (if they were, the political atmosphere would be a lot different now: the repugs would be reduced to whiners who lost all their lobby bribes because the dems, who are now in power, took their place – that is not the case. Busisness may be trying to get in bed with the dems, but that they are still leaning heavily on the repugs indicates that the dems haven’t let them into the bedroom yet).
February 5th, 2009 at 1:16 pmtokin librul Says:
The only reason ‘bi-partisanship’ is at all ‘possible’ is because, at base, the two parties are in essential sympathy in their ends, differing meaningfully only in them means employed to achieve them…
Yes… and note that there is NO bipartisanship possible right now. The dems and the repugs have different ends — the dems want America to succeed, and the repugs want America to fail. Pretty simple, really. Frighteningly so, actually.
February 5th, 2009 at 1:18 pmIt’s been explained. doubt it? Explain the next 8 years.
See I can predict the future too.
February 5th, 2009 at 1:20 pmtokin librul Says:
If this country goes bankrupt, we will be forced to sell off our assets and privatize the government. And that is exactly what they are waiting for.
____________
I have made this point repeatedly here the last couple of years.
It’s nice to see folks wake up and react.
Time to repeat this meme over and over and over again…. before we all get up some morning in the not-too-distant future and realize the Grand Canyon now belongs to the Peoples’ Republic of China…
February 5th, 2009 at 1:21 pmFred Says:
tokin librul Says:
But the Dims are exactly the same. Doubt it? Then explain the last two years…
It’s been explained. doubt it? Explain the next 8 years.
See I can predict the future too.
I’m keeping track too Fred and you’re ahead by 2 now!
February 5th, 2009 at 1:22 pmActually it’s 3 today and one from yesterday or some such…..ros is falling behind.
ros, kings X for today….now that I have a lead, I have to work for a while.
February 5th, 2009 at 1:28 pm.
Preventative health maintenance costs far less than reactive health care and treatment…
… And Boner chooses people who’ll profit from keeping Americans ill.
.
February 5th, 2009 at 1:30 pmOh… ganging up on me, are ya?
Hmmmph… we’ll see about that.
Where’s that llama… we need ta talk…
February 5th, 2009 at 1:31 pmMax-1 Says:
… And Boner chooses people who’ll profit from keeping Americans ill.
__________
One could easily come to that conclusion, couldn’t one?
February 5th, 2009 at 1:31 pmI don’t know that the repugs have the chops to solve healthcare without making it worse. Hopefully Obama will stop this bi-partisan crap and send Boehner packing.
February 5th, 2009 at 1:43 pmMy dear Nieghbors,
Please don’t fall for this crap again. John Conyers introduced HR676 into the house. THIS BILL IS A TRUE SINGLE PAYER SYSTEM LIKE FRANCE, ENGLAND, CANADA ETC. But not one news orginization covered it. NOT ONE. WHY????
This will be your biggest fight. I wish you knew what it felt like NOT TO WORRY about your health care. People in Canada are loosing there jobs as well, but guess what??? They still have HEALTH CARE…NO CHARGE !!! Immagine that, waking up in the morning not having to worry if your child gets sick, or falls and breaks a leg. I wish you knew how liberating that feels….it’s call FREEDOM AND LIBERTY for which you Americans DON’T HAVE.
Take to the streets, call your reps in congress and the senate and DEMAND they support HR676. I would also suggest calling the media and demand to know WHY WAS IT NOT REPORTED THE A SINGLE PAYER HEALTH BILL WAS INTRODUCED TO CONGRESS ???
I feel really sad for my family who live in the US. But at the same time, I tell them, GET OFF YOUR ASS AND DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. This is not just for you , but your kids.
WHAT IN THE HELL ARE YOU WAITING FOR???? To be living in the streets with no health care, i guess.
Peace my Nieghbors….Good luck and God Speed (for those of you who are religious).
February 5th, 2009 at 1:48 pmGive me an order of some “Freedom” Healthcare.
February 5th, 2009 at 1:52 pmFirst off, Boehner is a moron, second who in the heck is going to listen or believe a bunch of suits that ONLY have their companies interests in mind.
February 5th, 2009 at 1:56 pmScrew all of them.
Only in America can you have a group who has screwed up everything they have touched and still believe they should be in control.
February 5th, 2009 at 2:24 pmLet’s see, the nomination of Daschle suffered some damage from taxes but was really sunk because of Daschle’s ties to the healthcare industry.
So the obvious solution is to form a think tank of healthcare industry lawyers ?
Kind of makes you wonder how similar this was to the idea that we were gonna save money by paying huge wages to HMO administrators while cutting healthcare costs.
February 5th, 2009 at 2:30 pmBTW – if you wonder what Matt BLUNT (R-MO) is gonna do with healthcare, look what Missouri Governor Roy BLUNT did with Missouri healthcare in the last 4 years.
I look on those two with the same last name as 2 of the 4 horsemen of the Republican Apocalypse – all 4 who are republican politicos in Missouri.
February 5th, 2009 at 2:35 pmFor all the critics of the President communicating with these fools: Read what they say, they are accusing the Democrats of not allowing them to participate. I find the President communicating with them, cooperation. If they still want to cling to the old, failed policies, they should accept that they are failures again and move on. Their way did not work. It was tried and it brought us to where we are today.
February 5th, 2009 at 2:50 pmIs Boner drinking heavily? Sure looks like a possiblity.
February 5th, 2009 at 2:52 pmProud, you are a dunce. You know that Daschle is not on any committee. Now if he was a rethuglican, he would be along with the board of directors of the health insurance providers. Now get lost.
February 5th, 2009 at 2:54 pmZero what is the allure of showing off how stupid you are? I never understood why the really ignorant people would come to a website just to annoy people. It would never occur to me to go to a con website and just toss out really stupid attampts at jokes just to push their buttons. Then again I am not a moron and you clearly are. I get that you know you are too stupid to actually participate in the discussion. I mean higher brain function is beyond your wildest dreams but why would you want to showcase just how stupid you are. Surely you dont think you are clever of funny. If you were THAT stupid you would forget to breathe and die. So we get that you are very VERY stupid. Mission accomplished you can move on.
February 5th, 2009 at 2:59 pmProudtobeSTUPID regurgitates an ignorant talking point AGAIN. Yawn. How may stupid points do you need for your hivemind quota there MORON?
February 5th, 2009 at 3:02 pmBoehner – the biggest, most dishonest blowhard other than a radical right-wing media pundit. Someday he’ll have his own show on Fox “news”.
February 5th, 2009 at 6:33 pmDoes Boner share a tanning booth with Lindsey Graham?
February 5th, 2009 at 10:38 pm