What if the Senate Finance Committee – Max Baucus’ baby – weren’t obstructing “Obamacare”?
What if Obama had instead designated Baucus’ committee as ground zero for crafting the deal – the incubator for the winning legislation?
What if Obama’s campaign promise to reform health care was just a prelude to cozy deals with the pharmaceutical industry?
Cenk Uygur has the whole story, and it’s depressing as all hell. I’m betting there’s a drug to make us feel better. Too bad lots of recent studies have found anti-depressants to be no better than placebo.
(Via the wonderful Holly of Self-Portrait As.)
This is a much longer video than I’d normally post. It’s wonkish, ranty, and somewhat rambling. It also feels excruciating truthful. If you don’t need blood pressure meds by the end of it, you probably have undergone a conscience-ectomy.
Aargh. I feel a Rahm Emanuel rant coming on. Time for my meds!
Patron cat of Kittywampus (1985-2001)
Thanks for posting. Its a decent summary. Something that is truly anathema to “big pharma” that was not discussed is comparative testing of pharmaceuticals. I was against Medicare Part D largely because there was no real provision for comparative studies and nothing in terms of cost control mechanisms. How Congress committed to such a program in the absence of such provisions beggared belief. I found it a supreme irony that many Republicans describe themselves as fiscal conservatives whilst simultaneously voting for such a program and resisting its reform.
With the concept of corporate personhood protecting the First Amendment rights of Merck, Pfizer, etc. and the recent Supreme Court ruling striking down provisions limiting how corporations can funnel $$$$$ during election season, we may well not see any change in how America is run by corporatists any time soon. That said, I do not believe their position is unassailable and that the primary system does offer opportunities for challenge.