The American Taxpayer Should Wake Up!
Stanley Feld M.D.,FACP,MACE
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s support for reelection to the Senate has been stagnating at less than 40%. Each potential opponent for the Republican nomination vs. Senator Reid has support of over 50% of the probable voters.
Senator Reid needs a costly, well choreographed campaign to overcome his poll deficit.
Who do you think is doing it for him?
Big Pharma is paying for his big push.
How come?
Big Pharma is supposed to have been slaughtered by President Obama’s healthcare reform plan. Harry Reid jammed President Obama’s healthcare reform plan through the Senate. Senator Reid is supposed to be Public Enemy Number 1 to Big Pharma and the healthcare insurance industry.
“A new TV ad is up in Mr. Reid’s home state praising the Democrat for creating "good Nevada jobs," expanding "clean energy" and providing "tax credits for small business." Moreover, "thanks to Harry Reid’s leadership, if you change or lose your job, you can keep your health care coverage."
Big Pharma is paying for Harry Reid’s campaign. The reasons are complicated but are becoming obvious. It is another one of President Obama’s trick plays.
“All this is courtesy of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, in league with the liberal health-advocacy group Families USA.” http://www.familiesusa.org/
Isn’t that strange?What is going on?
Big Pharma should be overjoyed that Harry Reid will lose his election. The healthcare insurance industry is now teaming up with Families U.S.A. to promote Obamacare.
President Obama has promised to provide affordable insurance. If he does provide affordable insurance it will be at the expense of all taxpayers because the government will be subsidizing healthcare insurance and drug costs. It will not be at the expense of the healthcare insurance industry or Big Pharma. Both industries will have a mandated increased customer base with guaranteed payment yielding a larger net profit.
President Obama is not protecting the American taxpayer. He is protecting big business in a different way than big business has been protected in the past.
President Obama is protecting big business because big business provides the money that gets candidates elected. They are providing the money to get Harry Reid reelected.
Thomas P. Stossel M.D. Director, Translational Medicine Division at Brigham & Women’s Hospital Harvard Medical School cofounded the Association of Clinical Researchers and Educators (ACRE),an advocacy group for doctor/drug company partnerships. He believes there is no statistical objective evidence for a conflict of interest in such partnerships. The partnerships are a valuable addition to physician education and clinical research as government funding for both decreases. The partnerships help translate advances in bench science into clinical practice.
Big Pharma might be delighted to decrease its support of physician education. It will decrease its overhead and increase its short term profit. It will also decrease its drive to develop new drugs.
Big Pharma’s ad is partly a thank you to Democrats for new customers. But it’s also political protection. With their business model in the hands of government, the drug makers have to make sure the government doesn’t squeeze them in the bottom line.
Politics does not change. Only the guys running the government change. Someone is going to come along some day and do something to benefit the people. President Obama is just pretending to be doing things to benefit the people.
“Thus do sweeping government programs produce their own special-interest advocates? Lost in this palm-greasing are the customers who ultimately will pay for ObamaCare in higher prices and politically rationed medical care.”
President Obama’s healthcare reform plan is another unsustainable entitlement for the benefit of Big Pharma and the healthcare insurance industry.
“Another reminder, if another reminder is needed, that powerful government serves the powerful.”
As government entitlements grow, government’s percentage of the GDP grows. Taxes must increase for all. Black market trading will start. Before America knows it America will be another Greece.
Patients and physicians do not realize how much power they have. They are the primary stakeholders in the healthcare system. Consumers must become vocal. They must force their elected government officials to pay attention to their needs. President Obama and the Democrats are only pretending to pay attention to taxpayers needs.
The opinions expressed in the blog “Repairing The Healthcare System” are, mine and mine alone.