Daschle's relationship with United Health

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/02/us/politics/02daschle.html?_r=1&hp

In Daschle’s Tax Woes, a Peek Into Washington
By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK
Published: February 1, 2009

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Another client paying for his policy advice was UnitedHealth, a giant insurance company with many issues pending before the Department of Health and Human Services. About a third of its $81 billion in revenue last year came from federally regulated sales of Medicare Advantage and Medicare supplement and prescription drug plans.

The company boasted in its annual report that “one in five Medicare recipients participates in a UnitedHealth Group Medicare program.” (Mr. Daschle has said he will recuse himself from matters involving former clients.)

Now, maybe it's me, but I cannot reconcile the inherent conflict of those 2 last sentences. How can the Secretary of Health and Human Services recuse himself "from matters involving former clients" if one of those clients is United Health who states themselves that 1 in 5 Medicare recipients participates in a United Health Medicare plan?

Daschle has done a good job of milking his former positions into an ongoing money tree. I know he was a mentor to Obama , but I don't think the prize for that help should be a post in which he brings in enormous conflicts from the getgo. ( And don't even get me started on United Health except to say that they really take the "for profit" part seriously, especially in the arena of executive pay.)

[havocmom]

1. Taxes aside, he is NOT the right man for the job

Period

[global1]

2. Dump Daschle - He's A Remnant Of Old Washington - And Will Hurt.....

President Obama's desire to change health care. He's too tied to the insurance industry - so where do you think health care is going? Certainly not to a universal or single payer system. Dump Daschle.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

3. Evening kick. I think it's important.

[OwnedByFerrets]

4. He is the WRONG man for the job. period.

[EFerrari]

5. There is that.

:(