That Didn’t Take Long: Insurance Industry Breaks Promise To President Obama

Just four days after standing next to President Obama and declaring their commitment to control health care costs to the tune of $2 trillion over 10 years, the insurance industry, drug and medical device makers, and hospital groups are backing off their promise:

Hospitals and insurance companies said Thursday that President Obama had substantially overstated their promise earlier this week to reduce the growth of health spending.

Mr. Obama invited health industry leaders to the White House on Monday to trumpet their cost-control commitments. But three days later, confusion swirled in Washington as the companies’ trade associations raced to tamp down angst among members around the country.

…

Health care leaders who attended the meeting have a different interpretation. They say they agreed to slow health spending in a more gradual way and did not pledge specific year-by-year cuts.

“There’s been a lot of misunderstanding that has caused a lot of consternation among our members,” said Richard J. Umbdenstock, the president of the American Hospital Association. “I’ve spent the better part of the last three days trying to deal with it.”

First, these groups are showing their true, dishonest colors. AHIP, the main insurance industry lobby group, sent out this press release from their fake grassroots campaign after the announcement:

By reducing the rate of growth in health care spending by 1.5% each year, the nation can achieve a savings of $2 trillion over the next decade. This effort will have a direct effect on the budgets of individuals and families and will also go a long way in ensuring that every American have access to affordable, high-quality health care. Stay tuned for more information on this important initiative in the weeks and months ahead.

Sounds like they made a commitment, right? Well, that commitment is now pretty soft

http://www.theseminal.com/2009/05/15/that-didnt-take-long-insurance-industry-breaks-promise-to-president-obama/

and realize that they will not cooperate

I hope he gave them their one chance and no more Mr. Nice Guy.

But I really hope he also realizes, like he did with trying to be bi-partisan, that these guys don't want to be his buddy or take care of the needs of US citizens. They just want to make money - pure and simple. If he continues down this corporatist path then we will end up with a real challenge from the GOP as early as 2012. Americans are fed up with these corporate screw-the-people games and we want real change at almost any cost.

We're already spending 2x per capita compared to other developed countries with universal care - That's a trillion a year we could save WITHOUT the insurance companies by going to MediCare for all.

2007 GDP = $13.78 trillion x 15% (what we currently spend on health care) / 2 = $1.04 trillion.

NOT!

Private health insurance should die. Sure, allow people to choose it if they want (most won't because it's terrible), but allow people to choose the government to handle health insurance for them and avoid insurance industry profits.

:dem:

-Laelth

:toast:

but to go full blast on the public plan now.

Good.

and when they totally fuck off then what?

Please let him learn the lesson and make one of his highly-praised re-evaluations and recognize that any plan that includes a profit-driven entity in our health care is doomed to fail, at least in terms of actually providing health care.

If only....

Why do they even get a seat at the table?
Why would anyone take thier "promises" seriously?
Why aren't they LAUGHED OUT OF THE ROOM?

and they're doing it very, very quickly.

I think he'll soon realize he's got to steamroll them and that a public plan has got to be part of any insurance reform, especially for people over 50 and with any chronic illness. Assigned risk pools won't do it since the scumbags will use every trick in the book to avoid paying for care.

While I would love to see health insurance companies all zapped into nothingness overnight, I realize the economic upheaval that results would be extremely unpleasant. A public alternative through the expansion of Medicare is just the kind of plan we do need, though, as an alternative to the giants. Conditions for enrollment would prevent corporations from dumping their employees onto it.

I know Obama talked at length with John Edwards before the election. I just hope he was listening about health care.

The insurance lobby had already convinced the administration that they were going to act on good faith. And now, in record time, they are just tossing away that political capital? Fucking crazy.

Either that, or their lobbyists got a head count on the Hill and realized that playing ball with the administration is not necessary....they after all had already bought Congress, and so their goodwill effort at offering crumbs to the people was getting into the law of diminishing returns. They are taking their crumbs back because buying congressmen is cheaper.

If this doesn't prove to Obama that they can't be trusted and should not have a place in a new system, nothing will.

not to throw up his hands and sigh "oh well I tried". Rather, it's for him to lower the Sword of Fucking Damocles on the insurance industry as best he can.

All the anti-single payer, Obama defenders posting here proved that they wouldn't have to stop business as usual.

Profit care comes ahead of Patient care.

http://www.wisecuntyissues.com/?p=62

Who wuda thunk it.