Internal Memo Confirms Big Giveaways In White House Deal With Big Pharma

[kpete]

Source: Huffington Post

A memo obtained by the Huffington Post confirms that the White House and the pharmaceutical lobby secretly agreed to precisely the sort of wide-ranging deal that both parties have been denying over the past week.

The memo, which according to a knowledgeable health care lobbyist was prepared by a person directly involved in the negotiations, lists exactly what the White House gave up, and what it got in return.

It says 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 -- and also agreed not to pursue Medicare rebates or shift some drugs from Medicare Part B to Medicare Part D, which would cost Big Pharma billions in reduced reimbursements.

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. Or, as the memo says: "Commitment of up to $80 billion, but not more than $80 billion."

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/13/internal-memo-confirms-bi_n_258285.html

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[wtbymark]

1. this was just debunked by Robert Gibbs n/t

[FiveGoodMen]

2. Debunked or disputed?

[berni_mccoy]

7. Whose side are you on?

[FiveGoodMen]

21. The one that checks its facts and uses English correctly

I didn't hear what was said in the press conference.

Did Gibbs merely deny it or did he give any kind of facts to go with it?

[dixiegrrrrl]

12. got link? quote?

What did he say?
Whre?
When?

[timeforpeace]

34. Yesterday I liked Huffpo. Today I don't. I'll let you know about tomorrow.

[emilyg]

13. Why should I believe him?

[KittyWampus]

14. why do you believe a lobbyist who will benefit from dissension and making Obama look bad?

[AuntPatsy]

18. bingo

[Cant trust em]

3. This memo wouldn't have been a problem if they didn't try to deny it

Well, it wouldn't have been as big of a problem. Now it looks like they know there was something worth trying to hide from.

All of this assumes that the memo is real.

[zeemike]

6. Assuming the memo is real so what?

Are we so naive that we think that anything can be done at all if we do not bargain with them?
We need to remember what Ben Franklin said...Politics is the art of what is possible.
And if you think that we can just force them to do what we want when they have so much power through the money they control you are living in a dream world.
Extracting ourself from this corrupt mess will be long and hard, and I know that I may not get there with you to that better world, because it may take decades or even generations to do it.

[bobshin]

9. So, them is what we need to bargain with, eh?

And giving them more money with your train of thought will therefore make them more powerful. Wash, rinse, repeat. While we're at it why don't we just appoint a corporate board to run our "democracy" and have them decide who the figurehead President and Congress will be. Why bother talking about it, it doesn't matter. We're just flapping our lips here.

Change we can believe in.

[zeemike]

35. I have no idea what you are talking about.

It seems you are trying to change the reality into some kind of conspiracy theory.

[AuntPatsy]

19. another bingo...the truth sucks....the president is not a god though

some might believe him to be. and the true power in washington does not and never has played fair...

[Cant trust em]

24. That's true, but why does this have to be a secret deal...

that Huffington Post needs to obtain a memo for?

[AuntPatsy]

26. Who knows what the huffington post is up to these days..there is a rumor

that they have gone to the dark side...

[Cant trust em]

28. Since when is pushing from the left the dark side?

They're not very supportive of Obama, but not in the way that we'd suspect.

[AuntPatsy]

29. Like I said...tis rumored....it seems a bit cordinated these days..the limiting support...

[Cant trust em]

31. What do you mean "the limiting support"?

[zeemike]

37. If it was a secret deal the why should be obvious

Because the anti reform ones then turn around and say Obama sold out....
When will we wise up to the game

[Cant trust em]

41. The anti-reform ones should be the happiest about this

Obama gets $80B in savings. In return, he doesn't push for even mor reform.

[redqueen]

42. The anti-reform ones won't be happy unless there's no reform at all. (nt)

[Cant trust em]

22. If the memo is real and they are trying to suppress it, it is a problem.

Forget the merits of the deal, if they want to hide what was in the actual deal that's a problem. If this is such a good bargain for the American people, then why be secretive about it? Cover-ups are not good.

[KittyWampus]

25. are you still beating your wife? Screwing little children?

[Cant trust em]

30. Well, we know that there is a deal. The administration was quite proud of it.

Getting $80B in concessions from big pharma is quite an accomplishment, but I think that everyone deserves to know what they gave up to get it. No one has confirmed the details yet. Until they do, expect the speculation to continue.

[C_U_L8R]

4. Any memo using Courier makes me suspicious

I mean, why on earth would someone purposely pick Courier
unless they were trying to look all typerwritery-official.
It's a heinous typeface.

[MannyGoldstein]

5. These aren't the droids you're looking for.

He can go about his business.
Move along.

But seriously, working with pharma might be a good way to go - pharma is only 10% of all health care spending, it's quite possibly the most effective money we spend, and the pharma folks know how to advertise and are tough as nails.

WH coverups, on the other hand, drive me nuts.

[Emit]

16. excellent points, MannyGoldstein

[HughMoran]

8. Doesn't look like the source of this can be identified

:wtf:

[Mr. Sparkle]

10. because this information was obtained from lobbyist's, i will take it with a pinch of salt. n/t

[Politicalboi]

11. It was right there on Obama's desk

Along with his Kenyan birth certificate.

[snot]

15. OK. HAVE WE ALL BEEN ON THE NET LONG ENOUGH TO AGREE

SOURCES ARE REQUIRED.

Apart from that . . .

Have we all been alive long enough to agree that "commitments" ($80 billion or whatever) don't mean sh*t unless written into LAW -- AND enforced by COMPETENT (independent) agencies with sufficient FUNDING to follow through?

[defendandprotect]

17. We really need a citizens' lawsuit here to STOP this practice of secret deals . . .

and open up way for Medicare, for one, to bargain with Pharmaceutical industry.

We also need to scrap the Medicare Drug Plan and de-privatize it before bringing it back.

I think it's pretty clear that anti-capitalistic fervor and anti-corporate fervor is

growing like weeds in America and if they want to avoid a total collapse of their

profits/drug empire, I think it's time for both OBAMA and the pharms and corporations

involved in "for profit" health care to make better decisions for all of our futures!!

[Curtland1015]

20. If that's all Huffpo needs, I can type up loads of shit to send them.

Any proof this came from ANYWHERE official?

[Cant trust em]

23. This kind of reporting got Dan Rather fired a few years ago. nt

[Connie_Corleone]

27. Was this typed up when people still used typewriters?

This is why I stopped reading Huffington Post. They're no better than Drudge.

[Cant trust em]

32. Has anyone else picked this up yet?

[SpartanDem]

33. Nope no one else is touching this story

the Kenyan birth certificate looked more real

[redqueen]

43. lol

[TexasObserver]

36. Recommend

[ipaint]

38. We are about to hand over the public option to private insurance companies

Why would this news be so far fetched?

Wake up.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x6302054

[backscatter712]

39. Cynical strategy, but it might work.

I believe Obama's strategy is to divide & conquer the lobbyists.

Clinton didn't do that in '93, and as a result, AARP, AMA, PhRMA, AHIP, etc. all formed a united front, shoveled tasty money into Congresscritters' campaign coffers, and health care reform died on the table.

Certainly, a strong argument can be made that Obama gave away the store to PhRMA - I think he decided to punt on drug prices for the time being.

But notice that PhRMA is actually at least somewhat supportive of health care reform this time, as is the AMA. And they're likely to spend money and whisper into the ears of congresscritters to that effect.

The strategy's cynical as hell, but it just might work.

[Cant trust em]

40. That's exactly why it's a secret deal.

The details are really off-putting, but it could work.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

44. Video - Harry & Louise 2009 ad for health care reform paid for by big pharma

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

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

[grahamhgreen]

45. Can Obama just make a statement guaranteeing bulk drug pricing?

[JuniperLea]

46. Even if this were proved true...

It seems to only bind Obama, not Congress, so does it really even matter?

I'm with those who say anything from a lobbyist requires a grain of salt... I don't think a grain is sufficient, so I brought my own salt to this thread... Moo, baby, moo!

[bobthedrummer]

47. Kick