Health Reform in Limbo, Top Drug Lobbyist (Tauzin) Quits

[jefferson_dem]

Health Reform in Limbo, Top Drug Lobbyist Quits
By DUFF WILSON AND DAVID KIRKPATRICK

Billy Tauzin, one of Washington’s highest-paid lobbyists, is resigning as president of the drug industry trade group Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America amid internal disputes over its pact with the White House to trade political support for favorable terms in the proposed health care overhaul.

As the industry’s top lobbyist, Mr. Tauzin brokered the deal with the White House and Max Baucus, chairman of the Senate finance committee, last summer to limit the drug industry’s total costs under the proposed health care overhaul to $80 billion over 10 years.

Mr. Tauzin’s departure is the latest unexpected fallout of the Republican upset in the Massachusetts Senate race, which abruptly transformed the health care overhaul from a near-inevitability to a daunting cause.

Like almost every other seasoned Washington player, Mr. Tauzin, who makes $2 million a year, bet on health care reform early – only to watch it come to a screeching halt.

Under his direction — and amid some protests from its board — the organization had backed up its end of the deal by spending more than $100 million on television advertising to promote the plan.

But after the health care overhaul stalled when Democrats lost the Massachusetts Senate seat, some industry leaders felt the trade group had gone too far giving concessions and could lose on some important legislative issues without gaining the protection it had sought.

<SNIP>

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/11/health-reform-in-limbo-top-drug-lobbyist-quits/

[slipslidingaway]

1. What happens to the 80 billion dollar deal? n/t

[TwilightGardener]

3. I think that was supposed to help close the Medicare "donut hole" (whatever that is).

Guess that's out now.

[slipslidingaway]

5. Only part of it, in return the WH promised that Medicare would not negotiate drug ....

prices and would not allow the importation of drugs, the Dorgan amendment.

Maybe we can go back and push for items that were important during the campaign.

:shrug:


The Obama/Biden Health Care Plan ...

http://www.barackobama.com/pdf/issues/HealthCareFullPlan.pdf

"Allow consumers to import safe drugs from other countries.

The second-fastest growing type of health expenses is prescription drugs. Pharmaceutical companies should profit when their research and development results in a groundbreaking new drug. But some companies are exploiting Americans by dramatically overcharging U.S. consumers. These companies are selling the exact same drugs in Europe and Canada but charging Americans a 67 percent premium.30 Barack Obama and Joe Biden will allow Americans to buy their medicines from other developed countries if the drugs are safe and prices are lower outside the U.S."


"Allow Medicare to negotiate for cheaper drug prices.

The 2003 Medicare Prescription Drug Improvement and Modernization Act bans the government from negotiating down the prices of prescription drugs, even though the Department of Veterans Affairs’ negotiation of prescription drug prices with drug companies has garnered significant savings for taxpayers.32 Barack Obama and Joe Biden will repeal the ban on direct negotiation with drug companies and use the resulting savings, which could be as high as $30 billion (per year) to further invest in improving health care coverage and quality.


http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/12/health/policy/12pharma.html

"...With Mr. Tauzin in charge, the trade group donated more money to Democrats running for office and added former Democratic officials to its lobbying forces.

Mr. Tauzin later said the White House had asked him to negotiate over the health care overhaul because, “They wanted a big player to come in and set the bar for everybody else.”

“We were assured: ‘We need somebody to come in first. If you come in first, you will have a rock-solid deal,’ ” he added. And, under pressure from his own board, he warned the White House not to back away..."

[PHIMG]

2. points out the real loser in reform failure

the insurers and the drug companies who spent all that money to buy off the white house and the senate - they are the losers.

the media does its part to make it seem like if the bill dies the big insurers and the drug companies WIN. the truth is they want this bill to pass because they know 5 years from now there will be 70 million people without insurance and MEDICARE FOR ALL will be even more viable.

this bill is a lifeline for the insurers and the drug companies and if it dies thier days are numbered. the only thing that was any threat was the public option and we see how quickly that was divorced from the bill. shock!

make no mistake the fat cats want this bill to pass. this is why they gave so much money to democrats. if they just wanted to kill it they would hahve given all their money to republicans.

i feel really bad for the very few people this bill would help but what they gain (the right to get financially raped by private insurers) is not worth what we all lose from the individual mandate and the massive transfer of public wealth to the insurers (subsidies.)

we need to hold out for the sustainable, affordable solution to the healthcare crisis - eliminate the wasteful abusive middlemen that add no value to our healthcare system - the private insurers -- improve and expand medicare to everyone.

private health insurance must go!

Expanded and Improved Medicare for all eliminates $300 Billion a year in administrative waste and uses the savings to give everyone a real Cadillac plan with a cap on out of pocket spending: $0.

We spend enough today to have Universal Healthcare we just don't get it because the Private Insurers have rigged our political system. We have to DEMAND MEDICARE FOR ALL.

[supernova]

4. This is a good sign

If the people who benefitted so much from the last round are now so frustrated that they quit, that means that there is a *real* tussle going on.

Hey Billy, go play golf... permanently.

[slipslidingaway]

6. kick nt

[Kurovski]

7. Kick. (nt)

[slipslidingaway]

8. Anatomy of the White House - PhRMA Deal

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=385&topic_id=434067&mesg_id=434067