AP: White House ‘met early and often with lobbyists’ on health care

By Raw Story
Wednesday, November 25th, 2009 -- 4:15 pm
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healthcaremoney AP: White House met early and often with lobbyists on health careWhite House officials "met early and often with lobbyists" involved in the health care reform effort, visitor logs obtained by the Associated Press show.

The White House on Wednesday released some 1,600 records of visitors to the White House since the inauguration of President Barack Obama in January. AP reports that among the visitors were several health care experts who advocate a more radical overhaul of the health care system than the one being debated in Congress. Eliot Fisher of Dartmouth Medical School, a vocal opponent of inefficiency in health care, and David Himmelstein of Harvard Medical School, a supporter of single-payer universal health care, were both on the list.

Also on the list were a plethora of health insurance CEOs and lobbyists, including the CEOs of Blue Cross Blue Shield, Kaiser Health Plans and the heads of pharma lobby group PhRMA and the American Hospital Association.

Rachel Slajda at TalkingPointsMemo reports that the visitor logs also show that the CEO of energy company Chevron, David. J. O'Reilly, visited the White House five times since Obama took office, meeting with Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and economic policy director Larry Summers, among others.

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Story comments are below...

  • theoracle
    Sooo, where are the Bush White House visitor logs that the Secret Service kept on file?

    Destroyed along with the hundreds of torture videotapes and the millions of Bush White House emails, maybe?

    There is at least a faint glimmer of hope that We The People will someday learn who was visiting the Bush White House, and on what day, since the Obama White House has chosen liberal transparency over conservative secrecy, knowing full well that they'd face criticism from both the left and right. This took courage by President Obama, a courage that was completely lacking in the previous Bush/Cheney administration, a courage on the part of President Obama that says "we have nothing to hide," a courage that says that the Obama administration is not committing crimes and trying to hide their crimes behind a wall of secrecy, totally unlike the previous Bush/Cheney administration.

    So, there's a ray of hope that the Obama administration will be better for America, and all Americans, than what the Bush/Cheney administration was, even as I wonder why President Obama and his administration keep compromising with so many of the criminally-insane corporate and political conservatives., watering-down key policies, dumbing them down to the lowest and dumbest common conservative denominator, when our nation desperately needs a healthy dose of liberal, progressive policies to right the wrongs of the criminally-insane corporate and political conservatives who've done so much damage to our country and the lives of so many American citizens and their families.

    At least President Obama isn't another dumb*ss Bush.
  • dennycrane
    They use to say that a "camel" was a horse "designed" by a committee. Well the "party" with the "jackass" , is being "designed" by capitalists and soon will become a pig.
  • usernamex
    Why is it wrong to listen to all the viewpoints? I think that's what he should do. The records show there were more reform oriented visitors than non-reform.

    "The records show a broad cross-section of the people most heavily involved in the health care debate, weighted heavily with those who want to overhaul the system. Among them were Dr. Eliot Fisher, a Dartmouth health researcher who has estimated that nearly one-third of health care dollars are wasted on unneeded services, and Dr. David Himmelstein of Harvard Medical School, who is among the top advocates of a single-payer health care system.

    The list also includes George Halvorson, chairman and CEO of Kaiser Health Plans; Scott Serota, president and CEO of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association; Kenneth Kies, a Washington lobbyist who represents Blue Cross/Blue Shield, among other clients; Billy Tauzin, head of PhRMA, the drug industry lobby; and Richard Umbdenstock, chief of the American Hospital Association."
  • Name
    chill out and give it a chance to work nothing is perfect
  • Andrea Stone
    All I can say is that I am getting a sinking feeling in my stomach that about the only thing thats changed is the party and race of the president, from what I can tell it's pretty much business as usual: selling the public down the river in exchange for campaign cash. As an Obama supporter I can't begin to tell you how this sickens me.
  • Max_1
    It is times like this I can say that I am glad I voted my conscious.

    Dennis Kucinich would have given America what it desperately needs...
    ... REAL CHANGE!!!

    A Change towards PEACE!
    A Change towards RIGHTS!
    A Change towards HEALTH!
    A Change towards GREEN!
    A Change towards PROSPERITY!

    But nooooooooo.... !!!!!!!!

    .
  • Democratic_Socialist
    Well said! Maybe in 2012 the electorate might have gotten smarter? Nah....
  • mcquaidLA
    Nope. No lobbyists in this White House, nosireee. The hell with Obama. The hell with the Republicans and the hell with the Democrats. I'm disgusted with this country and our corporate government.
  • unclesam2
    me still have hope change is a comin
  • Freedom's Toast
    Me too--hope, but precious little expectation.
    The expectation I DO have involves the phrase "when worse comes to worst".
  • Freedom's Toast
    It's reassuring to know that we still have the best representation money can buy.
    Good ol' Billy Tauzin, the guy who had the red light on over his office door well before he departed congress, selling votes to PhRMA which had, ostensibly, already promised him all the gravy he could swill, is a classic example. But other examples from both parties, are plentiful.

    When the good people of this failing country have finally enough to choke on, what, do you suppose, will be the reaction? Find another candidate to support--one "honest" person among a den of thieves? Or will they understand that mass action, work-stoppages, labor-union strikes, and all the things that actually get the attention of those with wealth to lose, are our last hope before violent struggle?
    All of these craven war-profiteers, these jackals, these carrion birds, are only toooo happy "guiding" us through times of [manufactured] crisis. They thrive on the opportunities created by chaos. We need to understand that our enemies are indeed among us. It's not CAIR, and it's not ACORN. It's the household names; the brands on products you and I use every day. Those people are strangling us as surely as their hands were around our throats. Isn't it nice that there are pretty graphics to soothe you as you gasp your final breath of hope and chance?
    Maybe some more happy pills from Billy's buddies will make it all go away. But I don't think so.

    Of course, if the country ever does wake up and begin to take meaningful action...there'll likely be a plethora of new amendments to the P.A.T.R.I.O.T. Act to deal with the "new threat".

    I think I got me a little bit of buyer's remorse.
  • Biggus Diggus
    Hope-a-dope! We been played for suckers and chumps. Last time I believe. Fool me once... won't get fooled again.
  • Freedom's Toast
    Yeah...don't misunderestimate the keen intellect of the American electorate.
  • moxaman
    None really. Obama has shown himself to be a liar and a fraud. He is nothing but a schill for large corporations and the military industrial complex... same as Bush, same as Clinton, and Bush before him. The last good president we had was JFK... and look what happend to him when he tried to abolish the Fed. We have been hijacked by the international fascist banking elite, and nothing short of revolution will put an end to this insanity. America is a fascist state with it's bones being picked on by corporate jackals, banksters, and the military industrial murderers.
  • joblo
    Why is this news again. The WH was reportedly having closed door meetings with insurance companies. What's the Difference?
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