Midnight: the time for all the supercreatures of darkness to wake up…
On that day, November 21, 2003, at 11:28 pm, US Congress would be surrounded by evil magic…
According to a report by the Institute for America’s Future: Billy Tauzin, Case Study in Corruption, How Industry Money and Personal Interest Shaped Part D, “At 11:28 p.m. on November 21, 2003, Republican Representative Deborah Pryce (OH-15) passed a resolution over Democratic objection that “waiv[ed] all points of order against the conference report and against its consideration.” In plain English, that meant no rules applied to the voting process. The lawmaking was done literally lawlessly.”
Then the vote on Medicare Part D started around 3 in the morning on November 22, 2003.
To date, the voting process of Part D is still controversial.
According to an article published in the New England Journal of Medicine on June 1, 2006 by Louise M. Slaughter, member of the House of Representatives, Medicare Part D is “the product of a broken process”.
Quote 1: ” Serious conflicts of interest on the part of the bill’s primary authors were common.”
Quote 2: ” Many abuses undoubtedly took place that night.”
According to the Institute for America’s Future Report: Billy Tauzin, Case Study in Corruption, How Industry Money and Personal Interest Shaped Part D, dated May 2006, serious conflicts of interest have been part of the Part D process:
Big quote: ” This report documents the role of Billy Tauzin in creating Part D, the close connection between money and politics, and need for real reform in the nation’s capitol.
Drug companies gave $87 million in federal campaign contributions between 1998 and 2005
69% of drug company contributions went to Republicans. 31% went to Democrats.
Tauzin received $218,000 in drug industry contributions between 1989 and his departure.
Tauzin now receives $2 million annually in salary, perks and benefits as CEO of PhRMA.
The former administrator of Medicare, Thomas Scully, received an “ethics waiver” from the Bush administration that allowed him to negotiate his job as a drug industry lobbyist while still developing the text of the bill in Congress.
“Front groups” such as the United Seniors of America and Sixty Plus received $41 million in drug industry money to bombard Congress with messages purportedly coming from grassroots.
These industry connections – especially those offering lucrative post-government jobs for Thomas Scully and Billy Tauzin – shaped Part D in favor of the industry. Part D actually contains a provision that forbids Medicare to use its bulk-buying power to negotiate lower drug prices. Part D also requires seniors to use private, for-profit insurance companies and denies seniors the option of a prescription drug benefit directly from Medicare.”
So, here we are. Both analysis put the blame on the Republicans’ stronghold on the US Congress.
Is it to say that the new Democrat Congress will do better? Hopefully yes. But, money and politics you know… And the pharmaceutical industry is very good at lobbying. Too good.
It’s Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Watch out!
Technorati Tags: Billy Tauzin, Medicare, Part D, lobbying, Congress
April 2, 2007 at 8:51 am |
[...] had previously posted on that issue 3 months ago: see here for some background [...]