Huge Giveaways In White House Deal With Big Pharma . . .

[OneBlueSky]

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/09/12/Huge-Giveaways-In-White-House-Deal-With-Big-Pharma.aspx

A memo reveals that the White House and the pharmaceutical lobby secretly agreed to precisely the sort of wide-ranging deal that both parties have been denying. The memo lists precisely what the White House gave up, and what it got in return.

The White House agreed to oppose any congressional efforts to use the government's leverage to bargain for lower drug prices or import drugs from Canada. In exchange, the Pharmaceutical Researchers and Manufacturers Association (PhRMA) agreed to cut $80 billion in projected costs to taxpayers and senior citizens over ten years.

President Obama wants to keep PhRMA from opposing the bill, and benefits by having its support, which now includes a $150-million advertising campaign. That's a fortune in politics, but it's loose change in the pharmaceutical business.

- more (including screen shot of memo) . . .

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/09/12/Huge-Giveaways-In-White-House-Deal-With-Big-Pharma.aspx

[joeycola]

1. Thanks for the reminder.............

I did read this awhile ago.




http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/09/12/Huge-Giveaways-In-White-House-Deal-With-Big-Pharma.aspx
.............
While representatives from both the White House and PhRMA have denied that the above deal took place, both the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times have reported otherwise.

The behind-the-scenes deal negotiated by the Senate Finance Committee in June essentially limits drug companies’ share of costs of national health care reform to a total of $80 billion over 10 years. Meanwhile, the White House agreed to oppose any congressional efforts to use the government's leverage to bargain for lower drug prices or import drugs from Canada or Europe.

As Representative Henry A. Waxman, who heads the Energy and Commerce Committee, told the New York Times:

“PhRMA would like to see if they can get a bargain. I think that PhRMA should contribute more than PhRMA wants to contribute.”

But even as White House officials state the $80-billion contribution from the drug companies to be a “starting point,” nearly everyone recognizes that this type of “behind-closed-doors” agreement gives the drug companies a secure seat at the table on Capitol Hill.

PhRMA, the drug companies trade association, is even going to help underwrite a multimillion-dollar television ad campaign supporting new health care legislation!.............

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

2. The Harry And Louise Back On TV, Supporting Health Care Reform paid for by Pharma

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Q1hPanrtGk


people responsible for it at the end -Pharmaceutical Researchers and Manufacturers of America

Then this


http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0809/26076.html

Massive campaign for Obama hits air


A new coalition on Thursday launched $12 million in television ads to support President Barack Obama’s health reform plan, in the opening wave of a planned tens of millions of dollars this fall.

The new group, funded largely by the pharmaceutical industry, is called Americans for Stable Quality Care. It includes some odd bedfellows: the American Medical Association, FamiliesUSA, the Federation of American Hospitals, PhRMA and SEIU, the service employees’ union.

continued above

[SidDithers]

3. mercola...

is a fucking loon.

Sid

Edit: to expand on my quick comment.

In addition to being a loon, Mercola is a member of the American Association of Physicians and Surgeons, a very conservative medical lobby, whose positions include (from wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_American_Physicians_and_Surgeons):

AAPS is generally recognized as politically conservative,<4><5><6> though it describes itself as "non-partisan".<7> The organization opposes mandatory vaccination,<8> universal health care<9> and government intervention in healthcare.<10> The AAPS has characterized the effects of the Social Security Act of 1965, which established Medicare and Medicaid, as "evil" and "immoral",<11> and encouraged member physicians to refuse to accept or participate in Medicare and Medicaid.<12><13> AAPS argues that individuals have a right to purchase medical care, that there is no right to medical care, and that a government-mandated entitlement to medical care is unconstitutional and immoral; hence they oppose efforts to implement a national health plan.<14> The organization also opposes mandated evidence-based medicine and practice guidelines, criticizing them as a usurpation of physician autonomy and a fascist merger of state and corporate power where the biggest stakeholder is the pharmaceutical industry.<15> Other procedures that AAPS opposes include abortion<16> and over-the-counter access to emergency contraception.<17>

And you want to use this guy as a source on a Democratic website? :eyes:

[blueworld]

4. And they've already started to honor the agreement....

Eli Lilly announced it was eliminating 35,000 jobs by next year. That's a big cost saver both for the company and all the unemployed folks who won't be able to afford drugs anymore anyway.

Stocks went up immediately! :patriot: