Even in health care, Bush likes big business

I suppose as my first issue-related entry, it should be no surprise that I picked health care. I've been working in the field since 1986 and I've seen many changes. We've seen a lot of attempts at controlling costs and almost nothing worked. Looking back over these 18 years, the only really concentrated effort came from Bill and Hillary. They got snuffed out, creating a vacuum. Into that space stepped HMOs, who cut costs and hurt people. Great solution.

But along came George, a man who cares about you...
Now, George W. Bush pushed through the largest reform of Medicare ever... and it was basically a bill designed to pour federal money into the bottomless chasm of health care expenditures.

The Bush administration knew what it was doing. It's corporate welfare for the pharmaceutical and hospital industries. They knew it was going to break the bank and contribute to our record deficits. But many old people love Bush... as do Pharma lobbyists, hospital administrators, and doctors. (By the way, all opinions are mine and not my employer's, who shall remain nameless.)

Consider the following exerpt from the New York Times (damn liberal rag!):
WASHINGTON, Sept. 7 - The Bush administration illegallywithheld data from Congress on the cost of the new Medicare law, and as a penalty, the former head of the Medicare agency, Thomas A. Scully, should repay seven months of his salary to the government, federal investigators saidTuesday.
The investigators, from the Government Accountability Office, said Mr. Scully had threatened to fire the chief Medicare actuary, in violation of an explicit provision of federal appropriations law.

The actuary, of course, was going to blow the whistle on the Bush administration, which was lying to Congress and the American people about the costs. And he probably calls himself a Patriot!!! As we all know, in the Bush lexicon, a Patriot is someone who is willing to lie for the President.... like Mr. Scully, who is now reaping the rewards of his devotion to country.

The NY Times article continues...
Mr. Scully, who now works for a law firm and a private investment firm, has registered as a lobbyist for Abbott Laboratories, Aventis Pharmaceuticals, Caremark Rx and other health care companies, but says his actions in government were motivated solely by a desire to help Medicare beneficiaries and taxpayers.

I think I speak for all Americans when I say, "Thank you Tom Scully. You, sir, are a selfless Patriot."

And what other foxes are in the chicken house?

The Bush administration doesn't just like big pharma, they also like big insurance. During the past four years, we've seen double digit health insurance premium increases. The defense? An older and sicker population, combined with more expensive diagnostics and therapeutics, is driving up costs. Who can argue with that? Particularly in Pennsylvania, all you have to do is look around and see all the old people, the obese people, and the old AND obese people.

Poor insurance companies. They're barely making ends meet, aren't they? It doesn't matter that the Blues in PA have hundreds of millions of dollars in reserve. It's barely enough to cover the costs of providing care to the insureds who trust them.

Gag me with an EOB! Consider the following:
THE NATION'S HMOS NEARLY DOUBLED THEIR PROFITS DURING 2003, EARNING $10.2 BILLION, AN 86 PERCENT INCREASE OVER THE $5.5 BILLION REPORTED IN 2002.

According to Weiss Ratings, Inc., Blue Cross Blue Shield plans as a group produced a $5.4 billion profit, which is a $2.1 billion, or 63 percent, increase compared to the $3.3 billion profit recorded in 2002. Of the 56 Blues plans, 51, or 91.1 percent, reported positive earnings in 2003. Weiss Ratings, Inc., August 30, 2004

The new Medicare law, incidentally, also helps line the pockets of big insurance by reviving the Medicare HMO concept. That was disaster before. What's the difference now?

If the Department of Justice wasn't so busy taking away our rights, maybe it would have some time to investigate these obscene profits.