Evan Bayh's reply to e-mail about health care reform (opposes Single Payer)

[IndianaGreen]

"As the debate unfolds, I support fiscally sound reform built on our current health care system that aims to provide Americans with affordable health care."

-- Senator Bayh

Talk about careful wording, this is a complete non-statement other than to ensure that he doesn't have to do anything. I remind our readers that Bayh is in the pocket of corporations like Lilly, Wellpoint, and Anthem.

Office of Senator Evan Bayh
[phone]
Russell 131
Washington, D.C. 20510

Dear (REDACTED):

Thank you for contacting me regarding health care reform. I appreciate hearing your thoughts and understand your concerns.

The rising cost of health care and the growing number of uninsured Americans has highlighted the critical need for health care reform. Many individuals and families are unable to receive vital health services under the structure of the current system. I receive letters from constituents on a wide range of health care issues, such as prescription drug affordability, tax credits for health care expenses, and coverage of college students. Please know that I am aware of these challenges and committed to improving access to affordable health care and addressing the needs of those who are uninsured.

Earlier this year, the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 was enacted to insure 11 million more children. The legislation included pediatric quality provisions from the Children's Health Care Quality Act (S. 225) that I introduced to address the urgent need to resolve quality care issues widespread in children's health care practices and make publicly available information on the quality of health care provided to children. I have fought successfully for the return of over $150 million in promised federal funds to Indiana to finance health insurance for lower-income Hoosier children. Most recently, I voted for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which was enacted on February 17, 2009. Aimed at creating or saving 3.5 million good-paying jobs nationwide through 2010, the economic recovery package also provides Indiana with an estimated $1.4 billion in additional targeted federal matching funds to prevent Medicaid eligibility cuts and to maintain services.

The economy is an important issue to Americans, and we cannot address the economy without talking about health care. A growing threat to our economy is the skyrocketing cost of health care. The U.S. system is the world's costliest; the country spends some $2.4 trillion a year on health care. An estimated 46 million people are uninsured, and many others lack adequate insurance. Businesses also find themselves in a challenging position to continue to provide health care insurance for their employees. Our priority should be to fix the system as we know it, to ensure that there is access to good, quality health care for Americans.

While we are in the early stages of the debate on health care reform, there are many questions regarding the role of the private and public sector. Due to increasing co-pays, deductibles, and out-of-pocket costs, many are calling for insurance regulation. Advances in health information technology are also being discussed, as electronic medical records could significantly reduce administrative costs. However, there are serious privacy and security concerns. Accountability measures such as patient notifications and patient control of personal health information must be explored in order to ensure adequate privacy protections.

As the debate unfolds, I support fiscally sound reform built on our current health care system that aims to provide Americans with affordable health care. Rest assured that I will keep your concerns in mind as the debate continues. I will continue to do my best to achieve solvent, bipartisan solutions that provide high-quality, affordable healthcare to as many Americans as possible.

Again, thank you for contacting me. I hope the information I have provided has been helpful. My website, http://bayh.senate.gov, can provide additional details about my work in the Senate, including legislation and state projects. You can also sign up for occasional email updates. I value your input and hope you will continue to keep me informed of the issues that matter to you.

Office of Senator Evan Bayh
[phone]
Russell 131
Washington, D.C. 20510

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

1. Sen. Boilerplate.

[Vinnie From Indy]

2. Nobody should doubt that Bayh will work very hard to kill meaningful reform

The most difficult thing for Bayh to handle is to do so without having his fingerprints on it. His decision was bought years ago.

K&R

[rurallib]

3. his daddy had to have dropped him on his head

IIRC his dad was a good solid Dem. But didn't Evan marry some big money?

[IndianaGreen]

4. He married big money alright

Evan Bayh's wife, Susan, sits on the boards of 9 corporations and received close to $900,000 for that in 2008. 2 Pharamaceuticals & 3 biotechs, all of whom have interests addressed by committees that Bayh sits on. This is in addition to their close ties to Eli Lilly, which owns the governor and most of the pols of both parties in Indiana.

Posted by: AngryOldVet on March 18, 2009 at 12:18 PM

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_03/017342.php#1472532

U.S. Sen. Evan Bayh's hopes of joining the Democratic presidential ticket with Barack Obama might have come down to his wife's service on seven corporate boards. Bloomberg News reported today that Susan Bayh's board directorships on companies like Eli Lilly, Wellpoint, E*Trade Bank and Emmis Communications raise "questions about potential conflicts of interest from his wife's work." The Bloomberg report quoted James Thurber of American University's Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies who said, "When you're vetting a vice president and his wife is on seven boards, that is a serious question of conflict of interest on a whole variety of issues." And Bill Buzenberg of the Center for Public Integrity was quoted in the article saying, "It doesn't pass the ethical smell test." That story also surfaced on NBC's Today Show this morning as a potential mark against Bayh's veep hopes. Indiana Democratic sources say the Bloomberg story and other reports on the web have Bayh supporters in Indiana seeing Bayh's ticket potential dim.

http://www.bilerico.com/2008/08/evan_bayh_good_for_gay_rights.php