Tuesday, June 30, 2009

A Democrat “Shakedown” to Fund Health “Reform”

Today’s article from Politico highlights attempts by Congressional Democrats to win concessions from hospitals and other health industry groups to finance a health care overhaul — tactics described by one lobbyist as “shaking people down” for savings.  These reports magnify the importance of reaching out to doctor and hospital groups in your districts, to let them know about the discussions in Washington, and encourage them to weigh in with their respective trade associations about the proposals being considered.

On a related note, you may find of interest President Obama’s comments during the PhRMA/AARP announcement on increasing drug coverage in the Medicare “doughnut hole” last week.  Specifically, the President stated that the PhRMA proposals constitute a commitment by industry “to reduce its draw on the health system by $80 billion over the next 10 years.”  For an industry that makes treatments that improve both quality and quantity of life for millions of Americans, some Members may find it highly presumptuous for the President to view an industry’s actions through the prism of “its draw on the health system” — a numbers-driven philosophy that, to the extent it permeates through the Administration, would increase the odds of cost-determined rationing of care to “reduce the draw” on health care spending.