I regularly receive the RWJF News Digest: Health Insurance Coverage from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation . Today I was sad to see the following title heading up their coverage:
Health Care Industry Gives More to Democrats Despite Fears of Their Proposals
But, as I read through this article, there was a glimmer of hope. That glimmer? John Edwards. More after the break.
The article starts out with an introduction to the "surprising" trend in health care industry donations.
"In a reversal from past election cycles," Democratic presidential candidates are getting more money from the health care industry than their Republican counterparts, even though Democratic proposals "have caused deep anxiety in some sectors of the industry," the New York Times reports.
And in the first nine months of the 2000 presidential campaign — when there was no incumbent in the White House running for re-election — the Republican presidential candidates took in $3.9 million from the health care industry, compared with $1.7 million raised by the Democrats, campaign finance records show.
There you have it, they are worried about the Democratic proposals, they are worried that Democrats will control the House, Senate, and White House. So what do they do? They buy the candidates. Don't consider for a moment that ISN'T what is happening. From the New York Times story:
“Everybody in the industry knows that health care reform is on its way, and you have only two decisions: sit on the sidelines or get on the field,” said Kenneth E. Raske, president of the Greater New York Hospital Association.
Get on the field and buy favors. What kind of purchasing are they doing?
An analysis of campaign finance records by the Center for Responsive Politics for the Times showed that Democrats received about $6.5 million from the industry while Republicans raised almost $4.8 million. With $2.7 million in donations through the end of September, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) has collected the most, "despite her calls for broad changes to the health care system that could pose serious financial challenges to private insurers, drug companies and other sectors." Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) raised about $2.2 million, putting him in second place, while Republicans Mitt Romney, former Massachusetts governor, and Rudolph W. Giuliani, former New York City mayor, were in third and fourth place, raising $1.6 million and $1.4 million, respectively. Democrats are outpacing Republicans in raising money from every sector of the health care industry, including "pharmaceuticals, insurers and health maintenance organizations, doctors, hospitals and nursing homes," reports the Times.
It's depressing that the two top donation getters from pharmaceuticals, insurers, HMOs, doctors, hospitals, and nursing homes are Clinton and Obama. However, it isn't surprising. John Edwards is the only one saying we have to exclude these people from the table, or else they'll eat your lunch.
How does he fair? He raised less than 5% of all the donations from these industries, a meager $600,000.
The message from John Edwards is clear, and these donations prove that not only does he mean it, but that the health care industry is AFRAID he means it. On the other hand, regardless of the rhetoric and the plan that tries to be the John Edwards health care plan - Hillary Clinton is the Status Quo Candidate. She wants to negotiate with the health care industry, and they are showing their support for this backing. You know, she has an extra $3 million raised over John Edwards because of her willingness to work with big health.
John Edwards asks, do you believe she'll be the person to stand up to them?
Answer me this, do you believe it?
If you don't believe it, if you believe in Santa Claus, but don't believe that Senator Clinton will bring about change, then you need to step up to the plate. It's time to take action, it's time to join One Corps, it's time to give up that Mocha and donate $5 to the campaign.
Join with me today, in giving up something small, in order to create something large. I'm asking everyone reading this right now to give up their plans tonight, to stay in and have a Netflix movie night with a frozen pizza, and to give the $30 you save to John Edwards. Do it, you know you want to, and Pizza for Progressives makes it easy. It's time for change, and that change happens one person at a time, one pizza at a time. Click the ActBlue image and give that $30, please.
I will leave you with the newest John Edwards video.
Comments
Please rec on Daily Kos.
The diary can be found here.
One of the pitfalls of childhood is that one doesn't have to understand something to feel it. - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Jesus Swept ticked me off. Too short. I loved the characters and then POOF it was over.
-me
Done
Great post, by the way.
Thanks, we're on the rec list together. n/t
One of the pitfalls of childhood is that one doesn't have to understand something to feel it. - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Jesus Swept ticked me off. Too short. I loved the characters and then POOF it was over.
-me
I noticed!
"If boiling people alive best served the interests of the American people, then it would neither be moral or immoral." Max Borders, Civitas Institute
Really strong diary, Robert.
You laid it out very well. Even Republic's might be able to understand some of the smaller words.
North Carolina. Turning the South Blue!
North Carolina. Turning the South Blue!
Thanks.
And, thanks for showing up over there.
One of the pitfalls of childhood is that one doesn't have to understand something to feel it. - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Jesus Swept ticked me off. Too short. I loved the characters and then POOF it was over.
-me
Thanks Robert
rec'd there and rec'd here too.
No matter that patriotism is too often the refuge of scoundrels. Dissent, rebellion, and all-around hell-raising remain the true duty of patriots.
Progressive Discussions
Good Find Rob
Clinton needs to clear her act up if she thinks she's winning the nomination. Good to see JRE sticking to his guns and coming out on top of this health care love fest.
Our children need to know that some people fought back, when others collaborated.
Our children need to know that some people fought back, when others collaborated.
Wrong conclusion?
I'm going to throw a rock in the pool here, because I think you're drawing the wrong conclusion from the facts.
If the health care industry hadn't donated anything to the Edwards campaign I could see your point, but they donated $600,000, about 25 % of what they donated to Obama, which is a lot less, but it's still a considerable sum.
To me it seems obvious that the amount in donations is directly linked to the standing of those candidates in the polls. They just gave less money to the candidates they think are a lot less likely to win. In the polls Clinton and Obama are #1 and #2, and so they're also in the #1 and #2 spot on the health care industry donations list. It's the same on the republican side with Romney and Guiliani at the top of the health care industry donations list.
As the article that you quote says, some donate
Will that work? With some candidates it might, but I think they'll have a hard time with Obama, especially if you look at what he's saying.
So that's who you are on Daily Kos.
I think that $600,000 can MOSTLY be explained away by physicians and nurses who support his plan for universal health care. After all, he has done a lot of work with nurses and the SEIU, and all those contributions would be included here.
Beyond that, there are a number of biotech/pharm people who live in Chapel Hill, and I have at least one friend who has contributed to his campaign and works for a pharmaceutical company.
This is the same thing that someone tried to do to him in the debate by saying he got the support of trial attorneys. Trail attorneys and physicians are individuals with their own ideas and preferences. That, to me, is vastly different than lobbyists and power brokers who run big health care.
I'm not saying you aren't partially right, but as you quote, there is certainly a percentage of people in these fields looking to influence the results because they fear change. John Edwards will be that change, Hillary Clinton, probably not so much if her husband is any indication.
As I said yesterday, if Obama is now coming out in favor of repealing the Bush tax cut to pay for universal health care in his first term, bravo. Before he was going to wait until it expired and then do health care, as Hillary has said she will do as well.
One of the pitfalls of childhood is that one doesn't have to understand something to feel it. - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Jesus Swept ticked me off. Too short. I loved the characters and then POOF it was over.
-me
I'm the same everywhere :-)
Yeah, I'm LiberalNC on dailykos too.
I'll run with that
Okay, unless you have different sources than I do, what's to say that the $2.2 million Obama received can't also be MOSTLY explained away by physicians and nurses who support him? Maybe there's just 4 times more physicians and nurses who support Obama than the ones that support Edwards? I'm just saying...
Woo hoo.....call the newspapers!
Obama is going to do something about Health Care by the end of his first term?
Well, kiss my grits. That's a minimum of five years from now! By then thousands will have died or suffered irreparable financial harm.
I'm gonna just say it... I like Obama. His problem is he's verbose and therefore generally unclear on what he really thinks or means. If he can't be clear and direct...and if he can't recognize the urgency of our healthcare needs ( he's got his), he's not fit to be our next president.
John Edwards is clear, concise and committed. What else could one ask for?
href="http://sencdems.blogspot.com/">SE NC Dems
Stan Bozarth
What else could one ask for?
Not voting for a war that you know is going to be a clusterf#ck? Just an idea...
You math is off as well...
By the end of the first term isn't a minimum of 5 years from now, but a maximum.
here's another video - latest Hillary ad in Iowa
"85% of Republicans are Democrats who don't know what's going on." -Robert Kennedy, Jr.
"Man is free at the moment he wishes to be." -Voltaire
Odd how that show never caught on...
One of the pitfalls of childhood is that one doesn't have to understand something to feel it. - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Jesus Swept ticked me off. Too short. I loved the characters and then POOF it was over.
-me
Mandatory health insurance?
What I see from Mrs. Clinton is that she is proposing a health insurance system that requires people to have insurance just like with vehicles. Is this the case? If so, How is Mr. Edward's proposal different?
It seems blatantly caustic and windfallish for the insurance industry. Am i just not seeing this clearly?
How Edwards' plan is different from Clinton's plan
Both will eventually require everyone to be covered.
Clinton's plan requires the purchase of health insurance from a health insurance provider. Same thing we got now only we have to buy something, even if it's junk insurance.
Edwards plan is progressive and will move through steps, setting things up so that the insurance we're required to buy doesn't break the middle and working classes and put us all on the street. From his website:
That still isn't the full story, though. If you really want the whole story, go to this page, and scroll down to read the section under, Universal Coverage through Shared Responsibility
I totally understand the reservations about such a system. Mandatory health insurance is a new concept in this country. But it is not a bad concept. Good or bad will depend on how it is implemented. The bad parts are 1) the expense, especially for someone with kids on a middle-class income; and 2) mo' money going to the criminally insane for-profit health insurance industry. Have to agree with you on both points.
Nonetheless, I welcome the Edwards plan. If this middle-class household has a government run health insurance plan available to buy, which is both comprehensive and inexpensive, that's what we'll be buying. And those for-profit insurance bidnesses will be FORCED to compete with the more efficient non-profit government plans for your dollar. I can see only one set of consequences under such a system: competing with a non-profit comprehensive plan will drive prices down and service up for everyone.
A personal note: My son is studying in Germany now and is required to buy health insurance. It is not real cheap, 60Euros a month (~$100 at current exchange rates, comparable to my vehicle insurance) but it covers everything. He will never get an unexpected bill from any doctor for any treatment for anything for $10 or $10, 000 ... so he can go anytime. That knowledge is more valuable to me than I ever imagined it could be.
"They took all the trees and put them in a tree museum Then they charged the people a dollar 'n a half just to see 'em. Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got till it's gone? They paved paradise and put up a parking lot."
I might add
that Clinton's plan will allow regular citizens to participate in the current FEHB plan, but says a new menu of health choices will be set up for us. What she doesn't say is what those premiums will be. Will the health insurance industry be able to muscle in a rate and benefits chart that's higher/worse than the current chart? Here is the 2006 premium list for those plans.
I don't know anyone who uses those plans, so I don't know how it is administered or how painless getting payments made are or how the "reasonable and customary" charts work out, or even if they have such a thing, or if the plan for the common federal employee is exactly the same as what covers members of Congress, as she seems to imply on her website.
"They took all the trees and put them in a tree museum Then they charged the people a dollar 'n a half just to see 'em. Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you've got till it's gone? They paved paradise and put up a parking lot."
Thank you
Thanks for that very informative response Leslie.
Here's something I don't understand. Enforcement. If your car insurance lapses, they revoke your License tag. If you get caught driving with it you get a ticket, or worse. What happens if your med insurance lapses? Will they refuse medical care at the ER? Will they simply abandon you? Will they trreat you and send you the bill? If you can't pay, will they sue? Take your home, etc?
I am very skeptical that the bottom line solution to all these plans is the promise of lowering insurance costs enough too be affordable.