More on the Drug Lobby

[Guest guest]

http://unsilentgeneration.com/2009/07/06/more-on-the-drug-lobby/More on the Drug LobbyJuly 6, 2009 · The Washington Post this morning prints a lengthy article and elaborate chart showing the numbers of drug lobbyists at work on the health reform legislation. This list includes a little congress in itself of former aides and members that only lots and lots of money could buy. Whether the paper would have published any of this without Politico’s expose of Katherine Weymouth, its publisher’s audacious plan to hold a salon where in exchange for fees running as high as $250,000 she would bring the paper’s reporters, key administration sources and other notables to her home for a private confab on health care—like a little closed committee session, if you will, where the Post could facilitate Obama’s reform on industry’s terms. Once the plan was made public Weymouth cancelled the salon and apologized. Insurance companies,hospitals and medical groups hired more than 350 former government staff members and retired ’’members of Congress “in hopes of influencing their old bosses and colleagues,’’ the Post writes. The health care industry is spending more than $1.4 million a day. The paper writes, “A June 10 meeting between aides to Baucus, chairman of the Senate Finance committee and health care lobbyists included two former Baucus chief of staff: David Castagnetti, whose clients include PhRMA and America’s Health Insurance plans, and Jeffrey A. Forbes,who represents PhRMA, Amgen, Genentech, Merck and others. =====In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.