[Peace-discuss] Obama into the tank again

[C. G. Estabrook]

	Published on Tuesday, March 3, 2009 by Corporate Crime Reporter
	Obama to Single Payer Advocates: Drop Dead

President Obama's White House made crystal clear this week: a Canadian-style, 
Medicare-for-all, single payer health insurance system is off the table.

Obama doesn't even want to discuss it.

Take the case of Congressman John Conyers (D-Michigan).

Conyers is the leading advocate for single payer health insurance in Congress.

Last week, Conyers attended a Congressional Black Caucus meeting with President 
Obama at the White House.

During the meeting, Congressman Conyers, sponsor of the single payer bill in the 
House (HR 676), asked President Obama for an invite to the President's Marchy 5 
health care summit at the White House.

Conyers said he would bring along with him two doctors - Dr. Marcia Angell and 
Dr. Quentin Young - to represent the majority of physicians in the United States 
who favor single payer.

Obama would have none of it.

This week, by e-mail, Conyers heard back from the White House - no invite.

Why not?

Well, believe it or not, the Obama White House is under the thumb of the health 
insurance industry.

Obama has become the industry's chief enforcer of its key demand: single payer 
health insurance is off the table.

Earlier this week, Obama named his health reform leadership team - Kansas 
Governor Kathleen Sebelius and Nancy-Ann DeParle.

Single payer advocates were not happy.

Since leaving Medicare, DeParle cashed in as a director at major for profit 
health care corporations, including Medco Health Solutions, Cerner, Boston 
Scientific, DaVita, and Triad Hospitals.

Now, what does the health insurance industry make of the Sebelius/DeParle team?

Here is Karen Ignagni, president of the lead health insurance lobbying group, 
America's Health Insurance Plans:

"Today the President is putting in place a team that is ready on day one to 
provide the leadership necessary to achieve health care reform. Governor 
Sebelius is the right person to move the President's health care agenda forward. 
She is a proven leader with extensive knowledge of health care issues and a long 
history of working effectively across the political aisle. As a former CMS 
administrator, Nancy-Ann DeParle brings considerable experience and a strong 
track record working on all of the health care issues facing the nation."

Karen sounds really upset, right?

Dr. David Himmelstein is a founder and spokesperson for Physicians for a 
National Health Program.

Himmelstein's take - Obama is caving to the insurance industry.

"The President once acknowledged that single payer reform was the best option, 
but now he's caving in to corporate healthcare interests and completely shutting 
out advocates of single payer reform," Himmelstein said. "The majority of 
Americans favor single payer, and it's the most popular reform option among 
doctors and health economists, but no single payer supporter has been invited to 
participate in the administration's health care summit. Meanwhile, he's 
appointed as his health reform czar Nancy-Ann DeParle, a woman who has made her 
living advising health care investors and sits on the board of many for-profit 
firms that have made billions from Medicare. Her appointment - and the 
invitation list to the healthcare summit - is a clear signal that the 
administration plans to propose a corporate-friendly health reform that has no 
chance of actually solving our health care crisis."

Obama to single payer advocates: drop dead.

© 2009 Corporate Crime Reporter
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