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While Americans wait for a bill that will bring about health care reform, some in Congress are working to erode the rights of Americans.
Ted Kennedy’s good friend, Sen.Orrin Hatch, supports tort reform and wants to make it part of a health care bill.
"I think that this is an important step in the right direction and these numbers show that this problem deserves more than lip service from policy-makers." - CNN.com - Transcripts
A step in the right direction towards Hell, maybe. Perhaps the senator was referring to the number he got from the Insurance Industry. Here’s a letter sent to Hatch from Congress.Org.
Subject: Your $600,000 from the insurance industry.
To: Sen. Orrin Hatch
October 3, 2009
"I pledge allegiance to the insurance companies of America …"Following is a list of the money taken from the insurance lobby by United States senators (opensecrets.org). I stopped the list at $500,000. No-one gives this kind of money without expecting something in return, or takes it without the reasonable expectation of being asked to deliver.
(From the list):
Hatch, Orrin G (R-UT) $672,557
For the full list of payees see: - Congress.org - : Letter to Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah): Your $600,000 from the insurance industry.
Bend over America . You are about to get pricked by health care reform. Might we someday see warning labels on our medicine bottles:
“WARNING: The Attorney General has determined that if this medication is harmful to your health, you are S.O.L.”
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
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In fairness, I think we should list those Senators who received more than Hatch from the insurance Industry. Some of the names may be surprising:
ReplyDeleteMcCain, John (R-AZ) $2,894,353
Obama, Barack (D) $2,464,377
Dodd, Chris (D-CT) $2,266,596
Clinton, Hillary (D-NY) $1,886,115
Kerry, John (D-MA) $1,396,617
Santorum, Rick (R-PA) $1,267,850
Nelson, Ben (D-NE) $1,247,299
Baucus, Max (D-MT) $1,196,463
Schumer, Charles E (D-NY) $1,097,700
Specter, Arlen (D-PA) $1,057,655
Lieberman, Joe (I-CT) $1,033,402
Grassley, Chuck (R-IA) $948,024
McConnell, Mitch (R-KY) $943,507
DeWine, Mike (R-OH) $923,163
Gramm, Phil (R-TX) $872,599
D'Amato, Alfonse M (R-NY) $858,693
Dole, Bob (R) $847,661
Conrad, Kent (D-ND) $838,787
Bunning, Jim (R-KY) $794,999
Sununu, John E (R-NH) $759,629
Coleman, Norm (R-MN) $716,195
Smith, Gordon H (R-OR) $711,585
Shelby, Richard C (R-AL) $684,848
Re: Tort Reform
ReplyDeleteBetsy McCaughey is supposedly an advocate for patients’ rights. Ms. McCaughey was a former Lt. Governor of NY State and was a primary force behind the derailment of the Clinton Healthcare initiative.
Ms. McCaughey is back as a vocal opponent in the current healthcare debate and she has appeared on several shows recently, espousing her point of view in much the same manner as she did so during the Clinton era.
The reason I bring up Ms. McCaughey here is because of the oft-repeated Republican refrain about how “Defensive Medicine” is a key factor behind unnecessary surgeries and more diagnostic test than are necessary.
In the first link, Ms. McCaughey appears on a morning MSNBC program and again repeats the “Defensive Medicine” mantra in a video.
The second link is from the Daily Show and is actually a much better interview, but there is a key segment during the interview where she claims that 46% of patients are undertreated. This statement undermines the Republican argument for “Defensive Medicine.”
http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/09/should-medicare-benefits-start-later-in-life/
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-august-20-2009/exclusive---betsy-mccaughey-extended-interview-pt--1
Fairness,
ReplyDeleteI believe in being fair to everyone. However, I wonder why the health care bill is being negotiated behind closed doors?
Below is a list of Finance and HELP Committee members. They total 42, with four serving on both committees. Fifteen, (36%) have taken large amounts of money from the insurance lobby. I am sure that will be an influencing factor when making decisions on our country’s health care. Will tort reform be reintroduced? What about the medical device amendment?
To be fair to the American people, shouldn’t lawmakers who take money from special interest be prohibited from serving on committees that are dealing with those special interests? Better yet, wouldn’t it be better for all of us if money from special interest was banned entirely? Maybe then the lobbyists would go home.
FINANCE CMTE
*MAX BAUCUS, MT (Chair)(D) $1,196,463
JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER IV, WV (D)
*KENT CONRAD, ND (D) $838,787
JEFF BINGAMAN, NM (D)
*JOHN F. KERRY, MA (D) $1,396,617
*BLANCHE LINCOLN, AR (D) $504,383
RON WYDEN, OR (D)
*CHARLES E. SCHUMER, NY (D) $1,097,700
DEBBIE STABENOW, MI (D)
MARIA CANTWELL, WA (D)
*BILL NELSON, FL (D) $544,746
ROBERT MENENDEZ, NJ (D)
THOMAS CARPER, DE (D)
*CHUCK GRASSLEY, IA (R) $948,024
*ORRIN G. HATCH, UT (R) $336,279
OLYMPIA J. SNOWE, ME (R)
*JON KYL, AZ (R) $536,044
*JIM BUNNING, KY(R) $794,999
MIKE CRAPO, ID (R)
PAT ROBERTS, KS (R)
*JOHN ENSIGN, NV (R) $629,466
MIKE ENZI, WY (R)
*JOHN CORNYN, TX (R) $566,178
HEALTH, ED., LABR, PEN. (HELP) CMTE
Tom Harkin (IA) (Chair) (D)
*Christopher Dodd (CT) (D) $2,266,596
Barbara A. Mikulski (MD) (D)
Jeff Bingaman (NM) (D)
Patty Murray (WA)(D)
Jack Reed (RI) (D)
Bernard Sanders (I) (VT) (D)
Sherrod Brown (OH) (D)
Robert P. Casey, Jr. (PA) (D)
Kay Hagan (NC) (D)
Jeff Merkley (OR) (D)
Al Franken (MN) (D)
Michael Bennet (CO) (D)
Michael B. Enzi (WY) (R)
Judd Gregg (NH) (R)
Lamar Alexander (TN) (R)
Richard Burr (NC) (R)
Johnny Isakson (GA) (R)
*John McCain (AZ) (R) $2,894,353
*Orrin G. Hatch (UT)(R) $336,278
Lisa Murkowski (AK) (R)
Tom Coburn, M.D. (OK) (R)
Pat Roberts (KS) (R)
Total: $14,886,913
Note: Jeff Bingamen, Michael Enzi, Orrin Hatch and Pat Roberts serve on both committees.
Source: http://www.congress.org/congressorg/bio/userletter/?id=586&letter_id=4029910426
"Better yet, wouldn’t it be better for all of us if money from special interest was banned entirely? Maybe then the lobbyists would go home."
ReplyDeleteDianne, that's a sentiment many would endorse at the drop of a pin, unfortunately, simply banning such monies would merely drive them out of sight, & the Scoundrels would Still find a way to profitably, sell their constituents out.
As obnoxious as this system is, we're stuck with it as those corrupting monies Do qualify as 1st Amendment free speech.
However; $60 Billion a year in Medicare Fraud doesn't. And Trust Busting Insurance Companies: NIGHTLY, on ALL the Major Networks, might make those Congressional Sticky Fingers a wee bit less Sticky, and a lot less comfortable selling us all out behind closed doors.