White House Affirms Deal on Drug Cost (let's go down the rabbit hole)

The New York Times ^ | August 5, 2009 | David D. Kirkpatrick

[khnyny]

WASHINGTON — Pressed by industry lobbyists, White House officials on Wednesday assured drug makers that the administration stood by a behind-the-scenes deal to block any Congressional effort to extract cost savings from them beyond an agreed-upon $80 billion.

Drug industry lobbyists reacted with alarm this week to a House health care overhaul measure that would allow the government to negotiate drug prices and demand additional rebates from drug manufacturers.

In response, the industry successfully demanded that the White House explicitly acknowledge for the first time that it had committed to protect drug makers from bearing further costs in the overhaul. The Obama administration had never spelled out the details of the agreement.

“We were assured: ‘We need somebody to come in first. If you come in first, you will have a rock-solid deal,’ ” Billy Tauzin, the former Republican House member from Louisiana who now leads the pharmaceutical trade group, said Wednesday. “Who is ever going to go into a deal with the White House again if they don’t keep their word? You are just going to duke it out instead.”

A deputy White House chief of staff, Jim Messina, confirmed Mr. Tauzin’s account of the deal in an e-mail message on Wednesday night.

“The president encouraged this approach,” Mr. Messina wrote. “He wanted to bring all the parties to the table to discuss health insurance reform.”

The new attention to the agreement could prove embarrassing to the White House, which has sought to keep lobbyists at a distance, including by refusing to hire them to work in the administration.

The White House commitment to the deal with the drug industry may also irk some of the administration’s Congressional allies who have an eye on drug companies’ profits as they search for ways to pay for the $1 trillion cost

[khnyny]

From the article:

"But failing to publicly confirm Mr. Tauzin’s descriptions of the deal risked alienating a powerful industry ally currently helping to bankroll millions in television commercials in favor of Mr. Obama’s reforms."

[CharlesWayneCT]

Funny how just yesterday we were told that the drug companies were behind the mobs fighting for reform. Now we are told they are paying for ads BACKING the reform, and they have had a deal with Obama.

Obama knew this, so his statements that they were fighting him were lies, but the media ignores it.

[Uncle Miltie]

"Pressed by industry lobbyists, White House officials on Wednesday assured drug makers that the administration stood by a behind-the-scenes deal to block any Congressional effort to extract cost savings from them"

Who's in BIG PHARMA's pocket now?

[Prokopton]

I look at all businesses like I look at congress, corrupt bastards who are out only for themselves. I must battle against them even though there are a few exceptions both in congress and business.

[khnyny]

Read the following to get an explanation of what this really means in part:

Why Aren’t Progressive Groups Protesting Obama’s Back-Room Deal with Big Pharma?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/miles-mogulescu/why-arent-progressive-gro_b_253279.html

Even the left is now seeing something “fishy”.

[dadgum]

Won’t this all be soooooo much simpler when there are no new drugs to have to worry about?!!!

[khnyny]

Bingo.

[St. Louis Conservative]

The Pharma companies are beyond stupid. They are making a deal with the devil. Billy Tauzin was an idiot hack when he was in congress.

That said, this should put San Fran Nan, Waxman, and others in a bind. No doubt they counted on sqeezing far more than this out of the pharma companies as one of their “pay fors”.

[colorado tanker]

Those people are a bunch of damfools if they think this "deal" will be honored. Remember this line?

Darth Vader: I am altering the deal. Pray I don't alter it any further

[NotSoModerate]

“We have all been focused on the debate in Congress, but perhaps the deal has already been cut,” Mr. Grijalva said.

Duh!!!!! This is why the American people are flipping out!! The deal is: big corporations, bureaucrats, and politicians would all become more powerful and wealthy off of the lives of the most vulnerable in our nation. It's sick and that's why we're mad as hell!!!!!!!!!!!

[khnyny]

Yes indeed.

Here’s a nice quote from the article I referenced above:

“As I cautioned in my recent Huffpo article entitled “ObamaCare,” it’s starting to look more and more as though “health care reform” will end up being mostly a federal bailout of the insurance and drug industries.”

(FR won’t let me post articles from the Huffington Post even if they’re critical of Obama!)

[Uncle Miltie]

To: flag@whitehouse.gov

I would like to report that the New York Times is selling a fishy story about Health Care Reform:

---

White House Affirms Deal on Drug Cost (let’s go down the rabbit hole)
August 5, 2009 | David D. Kirkpatrick

“WASHINGTON — Pressed by industry lobbyists, White House officials on Wednesday assured drug makers that the administration stood by a behind-the-scenes deal to block any Congressional effort to extract cost savings from them beyond an agreed-upon $80 billion.”

---

This is of course impossible, because we know the Obama Adminstration has been demonizing Big Pharma, and to find Obama in bed with Drug Company Lobyists would be hypocritical.

[w1andsodidwe]

But if company A’s blue pill works better than company B’s red pill, then we will all use the red pill. So if company A gives more to Obama’s campaign will their pill automatically be better? There could be many side deals brewing.

[khnyny]

ping

[NotSoModerate]

The drug industry trade group, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, also opposes a public insurance plan. But its lobbyists acknowledge privately that they have no intention of fighting it, in part because their agreement with the White House provides them other safeguards.

In other words, the administration has agreed to cut costs by replacing expensive surgical procedures with pain killers. Imagine the money to be made if every hip replacement is substituted with a decade or more of pain pills and wheelchairs?!?

[maryz]

Those people are a bunch of damfools if they think this "deal" will be honored.

WSJ has had a few articles:

Big Pharma Gets Played: Congress repays business silence with price controls.

As an old Washington hand, pharmaceutical lobbyist Billy Tauzin should know better than to trust a politician. His corporate clients and their shareholders may soon pay for his attempt to get cozy with ObamaCare. . . .

Democrats Hoodwink the Health Lobby: America's health-care CEOs are being taken for a ride by Congress and their own lobbyists

. . . . The insurers have today reunited under a group called America's Health Insurance Plans. Its CEO? Ms. Ignagni. She, along with Billy Tauzin, head of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the American Hospital Association's Rick Umbdenstock, and others are back in Washington convinced they can outsmart, or at least outrun, the politicians. Democrats are happy to let them think so.

He who sups with the Devil should use a long spoon!

[khnyny]

The people who will get shafted are the taxpayers and patients.

[M203M4]

“Remember kids, big business wants deregulation and small government - the trappings of fascism! Free markets and low taxes are tools of the devil and Hitler. Now run along and carbon offset your breathing, read about how much America hates poor brown people, and condom the banana. I’m leaving early to go put the fear of the union into those old people protesting the health-care plans of Glorious Leader (Happy birthday+3, PBUH).”

[Rockitz]

Fascism defined!

[mentor2k]

There’s more to this than any of us realize. Something more demonic and miniacal than we ever imagined possible with our government. Something that the framers of our constitution had the inherent foresight to see. And now, the Separation of Powers has become the left greatest enemy.