Waxman Gears Up for Health Care Showdown

[babylonsister]

Waxman Gears Up for Health Care Showdown

Man with a health care plan?: House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman.

By Bill Boyarsky


By the time Congress returns from its recess and takes another whack at the health insurance mess, Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., will have started revealing the deceit that protects health business profiteers.

snip//

Last week, I talked to Waxman about what’s happening in health care. I found him at UCLA, at a forum on another of his interests, preventing climate change.

If you’re a reporter looking for a hot quote, Waxman’s the wrong man to see. Anyone watching his “Daily Show” appearance with Jon Stewart could tell you that. Waxman is all policy, determined to explain everything in detail. But he’s smart, tough and knows how to get results. He showed that last year when he went against the House seniority system and took over the Energy and Commerce Committee by unseating John Dingell, its longtime chairman.

I asked Waxman whether he expected the insurance companies to reply to his letters. “Oh yes,” he said. “When we write letters, we expect to get answers.” And what was his purpose in seeking the information? At first, he was reluctant to discuss the investigation. Finally, he gave a guarded reply: that many folks perhaps take too benign a view of private insurance companies.

Perhaps his findings will open their eyes.

The letters from Waxman and his colleague, Bart Stupak, chairman of the House Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, went to every major insurance company, ranging from Aetna to Wellpoint. The lawmakers want to know the pay, stock options, perks, incentives, and retirement and other financial information of executives earning more than $500,000 a year. They are curious about the cost of promotional junkets. They are seeking disclosure of premiums, revenue, claims payments and sales expenses for health insurance policies. This includes sales to employers, individuals and the government. Interestingly, while insurance companies rail against the federal government, they earn money from participating in a number of federal programs, such as Medicare.

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http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/20090825_waxman_gears_up_for_health_care_showdown/

[blue neen]

1. The public needs to know exactly the compensation these executives are taking home.

It might open everyone's eyes a little bit!

[Barack_America]

2. K&R for Representatives willing to do their jobs in DC. nt

[corkhead]

3. au contraire, they are doing what they are paid to do.

what is in dispute is who they actually work for.

[babylonsister]

4. Who do you think Waxman works for? nt

[corkhead]

5. My snark was meant for the blue dogs and republicons, not for Waxman.

I see how what I said could be intrepreted that way. :blush:

not all of them suck.