obama uses heads of national dr associations and unions standing like dummies behind him as props

Remember the "bipartisan healthcare summit" that bho had where he complained about republicans using a printout of the entire 2700 page healthcare bill as a prop?

Well, on 3/3/2010, bho had another dog and pony show, with a bunch of people in white coats and scrubs behind him as props.

bho greets these people, who then stay on stage behind him, as a show of support for his version of healthcare.

Who were these people? Were they ordinary, hard working medical personnel? Well, we find out that their names are Julie Babich, Roland Goertz, Barbara Crane, Stephen Hanson, Renee Jenkins, Christopher Lillis.

And, as it turns out.... among them are the heads of serveral large national doctor associations and unions.

Christopher Lillis - MD, blogger advocating reigning in insurance companies power and an admire of ted (remember Mary Jo Kopechne) kennedy.

Stephen Hanson - Physician assistant and president of the American Academy of Physician Assistants.

Barbara Crane - RN and president of a national nurses union, and also on the board of a ny state nurses union.

Ronland Goertz - MD and president elect of the American Academy of Family Physicians.

So, while bho complains about the republicans using a stack of paper, representing the healthcare bill as props, he uses the HEADS OF SEVERAL NATIONAL DOCTOR ORGANIZATIONS AND UNIONS as props to support him.

An even bigger question would be..... If these heads of these organizations are representing the organizations themselves, and willing to be props for bho and show their support for national healthcare, do their memberships know and support the same thing?

Obama had a healthcare speech 3/3/2010. Behind him, he had representatives of the healthcare profession that supported him.

http://d.yimg.com/a/p/rids/20100303/i/r1526194534.jpg?x=400&y=265&q=85&sig=C7iaPJ._osIU1alrELEIAA—
http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20100303/capt.photo_1267646111818-5-0.jpg?x=400&y=247&q=85&sig=aBaX.fxcmb1Mqxfzl0h3fA—

Who were these people?

From your left to right
Julie Babich, Roland Goertz, Barbara Crane, Stephen Hanson, Renee Jenkins, Christopher Lillis.

http://d.yimg.com/a/p/rids/20100303/i/r2264298015.jpg?x=400&y=289&q=85&sig=K7VJtbtw1oG7k0z884BwQQ—

More specifically, this person is of interest, named Barabara Crane. Who is she? well, for one thing,

she is a registered nurse.

http://sec.wbir.com/photo/04wM6P67FScCv?q=Business

Registered nurse Barbara Crane of St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center in Long Island, N.Y. , applauds President Barack Obama as he speaks about health care reform, Wednesday, March 3, 2010, in the East Room of the White House in Washington.

In particular, she is the President of the National Federation of Nurses (NFN).
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/146448.php

Leaders from six state nurses associations announced today the formation of a new, innovative national union for registered nurses, the National Federation of Nurses (NFN). The NFN is unique at the national level in terms of its structure and organization and will provide an unparalleled platform for registered nurses to have a voice in the national labor agenda.

Representing nearly 70,000 registered nurses nationwide, the NFN currently includes six state nurses’ associations: Montana, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, and Washington. A 21-member constitutional committee, with representatives from each of the member states, has developed governing documents for a new, ground breaking constitutional structure.

That 21 person committee democratically elected the first National Executive Board of the NFN, including President Barbara Crane, RN, (New York State Nurses Association); Vice President Julie Shuff, RN, (Oregon Nurses Association); Treasurer Rose Marie Martin, RN, (Ohio Nurses Association); and Secretary Kim Armstrong, RN, (Washington State Nurses Association).

Four directors were also elected, including Jeanne Avey, RN, (Washington State Nurses Association); Vicky Byrd, RN, and Tina Hedin, RN, (Montana Nurses Association); and Bruce Humphreys, RN, (Oregon Nurses Association).

“The new union,” according to NFN President Barbara Crane, RN, “is founded on core democratic principals including self-governance, respect for individual member state’s sovereignty, and highly coordinated collaboration. The NFN will focus on an effective national labor agenda that supports and advances the economic and general welfare, workplace conditions, and practice of registered nurses
through collective bargaining and shared decision-making”.

She also is on the board of directors of the New York State Nurses Association, you can see her picture here.
http://www.nysna.org/general/board.htm

And what is the NYSA?
http://www.nysna.org/general/main.htm

The New York State Nurses Association is the nation’s oldest and largest state professional association for registered nurses. It also is New York’s largest union solely dedicated to promoting the interests of RNs and their patients.

of interest, are it advocacy issues, such as protecting their pensions... which seems to be a big concerns, as it seems ms. crane seems to be a big advocate of this.

http://www.pr-inside.com/nfn-leads-the-way-as-national-r1556361.htm

NFN Leads the Way as National Spokesunion for Pension Reform

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© Business Wire 2009
2009-10-30 17:43:02 -

National Federation of Nurses (NFN) President Barbara Crane, RN, joined Congressmen Earl Pomeroy (D-ND) and Pat Tiberi (R-OH) Tuesday, October 27 at the House Triangle in Washington

DC to introduce groundbreaking legislation to help defined benefit pension plans weather the country’s current economic downturn. The Pomeroy-Tiberi bill will provide the relief necessary to restore pension plans to soundness over time
and keep employers from having to freeze pensions or cut their workforces.

President Crane, who was in DC as part of the NFN’s national lobbying campaign in support of the Pomeroy-Tiberi bill, said, “This historic legislation deserves the support of every registered nurse in America.
Across the country, nurses are concerned about the future of their pensions. The Pomeroy-Tiberi bill is what we have been waiting for and what we need.”

Rep. Earl Pomeroy, a Democrat from North Dakota and Rep. Pat Tiberi, a Republican from Ohio,

were joined by representatives of the NFN, the New York State Nurses Association, and representatives from labor unions, businesses and non-profit organizations whose workers and members participate in defined benefit pension plans.

The Pomeroy-Tiberi legislation comes after Congress approved legislation, earlier this year, that reduced the required funding levels for defined-benefit pensions and allowed the use of different accounting standards to lessen financial constraints.

Pomeroy said “The cornerstone of this bill is temporary pension funding relief that eases an employer’s obligation to make up for the investment losses that pension plans experienced in 2008 by making significantly greater contributions in the coming years.”

Oh look here... she also apparently has been on the American Nurses Associations PAC board also,

when they lobbied for clinton, and she is currently on the board of directors for the ANA for

2008-2010.

(not as nice a picture here... must have been a bad hair day)
http://www.nursingworld.org/MemberCenterCategories/BOD/ANABoardofDirectors/crane3280.aspx

Who is Stephen Hanson?
http://www.bakersfield.com/news/local/x379808864/Bakersfield-man-rubs-elbows-with-the-Pres

Bakersfield physician assistant Stephen Hanson stood within arm’s length of President Barack Obama in the East Room of the White House on Wednesday as the president addressed a crowd of doctors, physician assistants and nurse practitioners.

Flanked on the dais by Hanson and a few other health care professionals, the president pledged to make national health care reform a reality, even in the face of unanimous opposition among congressional Republicans — and wavering support from a number of Democrats.

Politics aside, Hanson enjoyed the experience for what it was: being very near the president of the United States and having the opportunity to represent at a national level the professionalism of some 75,000 physician assistants across the country.

“It was an amazing experience,” said Hanson, who was invited to the event because of his position as president of the American Academy of Physician Assistants.

The organization does not align itself with any one reform plan, Hanson said in a phone call from Washington, D.C. But it does support improved access to care for all Americans and recognizes that reform of the current system is critical.

Hmmmm... President of the American Academy of Physician Assistants.....

http://www.aapa.org/about-aapa
About AAPA

The American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) is the only national professional association that represents all PAs across all medical and surgical specialties in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, the armed forces, and the federal services.

AAPA provides comprehensive support and advocacy for physician assistants so that they may, in turn, provide patients with increased access to quality, cost-effective health care.

And who, does this supposed non political organization seem to support?

http://www.healthfreedompas.com/blog/2008/05/

“AAPA buys Congress Votes: Dem 22 / Rep 8
The May issue of the AAPA news has an article entitled,

“Does Your Representative Care About Health Care?”.

This should attract our readers’ antennae. The article talks about the AAPA’s Political Action Committee (PAC). PACs are legal ways to bribe politicians to listen to you. So, who is the AAPA bribing? I thought I’d look. I went to the FEC (Federal Election Commission) website and found out EXACTLY who the AAPA PAC paid. Click here for my compiled summary of the AAPA PAC contributions by congress. I list the contributions by congress person and their party. Note : 22
Democrats and 8 Republicans received funds donated by PAs. On the FEC site you can also find out which PAs donated. The Center for Responsive Politics (at www.opensecrets.org links to the AAPA PAC info also)”

Interesting site... seems to say the AAPA tends to support socialistic health care...

Next..... Renee Jenkins.... or rather, Dr. Renee Jenkins, President of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Also...

https://www.howard.edu/newsroom/experts/bio/ReneeJenkins.htm

Dr. Jenkins is a Professor and the Chair of the Department of Pediatrics and Child Health at Howard University. She is also the Chair of the Pediatric Section of the National Medical Association. Dr. Jenkins received both her A.B. and M.D. degrees from Wayne State University. She completed a general pediatrics residency at the Albert Einstein/Jacobi Hospital Program in 1974 and completed an Adolescent Medicine fellowship at Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, New York. Dr. Jenkins was the first director of Adolescent Medicine in the Department of Pediatrics and Child Health at Howard University and served as President of the Society for Adolescent Medicine in 1989 -90.

Dr. Jenkins is the Immediate Past -President of the District of Columbia Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and she has been active in the American Academy of Pediatrics serving on national and local committees, including chairing the national Committee on Community Health Services and currently serving on the Committee on Federal Government Affairs (COFGA). She is a member of the Institute of Medicine and serves on the Board on Children, Youth and Families of the National Academy of Sciences. She also has served on many advisory groups, non-profit boards and review committees. Her publications and presentations range from primarily adolescent health and sexuality to violence prevention and health issues of minority children.

Committe on Federal Government Affairs, huh?

She has been a big supporter of SCHIP and advocating overcoming the “disparities” in access to health care between african american and latino children who don’t have access, and, i guess it must be the white children, who do. She also thinks healthcare for children is a right.
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/health_cast/uploaded_files/091808_h08_jenkins_transcript.pdf

DR. RENEE JENKINS: I think the Academy for several years has really been concerned most about access to care for children. And we were big supporters of SCHIP and we were able to in the pediatric area show the benefits of getting more kids covered in terms of the children who got routine primary care.
As a result, some of the disparities in health that we saw with African American and Latino children were corrected when they got access to care. So we are really concerned about getting all children covered. We really think that health insurance and health coverage should be a right for children in this country.

You can read more about what she has done here in her cum vitae
http://www.fda.gov/downloads/AdvisoryCommittees/CommitteesMeetingMaterials/Drugs/NonprescriptionDrugsAdvisoryCommittee/UCM177130.pdf

If you want to read what the AAP advocates for, you can read it on their site.

Just to note, they are the reason you get asked about things like firearms in the home, after all, it’s for the children.

A quick search of Christopher Lillis shows he is a MD, and practices as an internist in virginia.

He seems to have an unfavorable opinion of health insurance companies...
http://www.virginia-organizing.org/opinion_columns.php#181
Christopher Lillis Letter to the Editor 9-3-09

Rationing? Ask rich insurance CEO about it

As a primary care physician, I cannot help but follow the debate closely in Washington regarding health care reform. It has been quite discouraging to see this debate put into nearly purely partisan political terms when lives are hanging in the balance.
As someone who is in private practice and has long volunteered in free clinics, I have seen a rather disturbing trend: More and more Americans are losing their health insurance.
.
.
This leaves me guessing, with every test I order and every prescription I write: Will my patient be able to afford this?
When patients struggle to get care while compensation packages for insurance company CEOs are in the tens of millions, I cannot help but think we are doing something wrong as a country.
Taking medical decisions away from private, for-profit insurers could save $400 billion, according to the organization Physicians for a National Health Plan.

Physicians for a National Health Plan happens to be a group advocating a single payer system.

He also seems to be and admirer of ted (remember Mary Jo Kopechne) kennedy...
http://drsforamerica.org/kennedy/
pledge to work every day with blog posts, letters to the editors of newspapers, and speak with my neighbors and patients about our moral imperative to pass health insurance reform.
Christopher Lillis, MD

Roland Goertz MD MBA FAAFP is president elect of the american academy of family practice.

you and read his bio of the AAFP sight here
http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/aboutus/governance/officersetc/directors/rolandagoertz.html

AAFP PAC predominately contributed to democrates in this 2008 donation breakdown...
http://www.campaignmoney.com/political/committees/american-academy-of-family-physicians-political-action-committee.asp?cycle=08

It’s advocacy seems to be to increase payments to primary care providers, and increase funding and primary care and services.

He himself has supported democrat chet edwards for congress in 2007
http://www.city-data.com/elec2/elec-WOODWAY-TX.html

In this editorial, he seems to advocate getting rid of the current insurance system, and having some form of universal healthcare for everybody, implemented incrementally

http://www.wacotrib.com/opinion/QA-on-health-care-with-Roland-Goertz-executive-director-of-Family-

Health-Center.html
Goertz, 54, has been a national advocate for affordable health care and for primary care doctors. He serves in numerous state and national organizations and is a board member of the 94,000-member American Academy of Family Physicians, which in 2006 honored him with the Robert Graham Physician Award.

interview continues in article.

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