Once an Enemy, Health Industry Warms to Clinton

When she tried to overhaul the nation’s health care system as first lady, Hillary Rodham Clinton alienated some people and institutions in the health care industry by championing a huge expansion of the federal role. She provoked a fierce reaction from the industry, which mocked her proposal in television advertisements and dispatched lobbyists who ultimately helped kill the plan.

But times change. As she runs for re-election to the Senate from New York this year and lays the groundwork for a possible presidential bid in 2008, Mrs. Clinton is receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from doctors, hospitals, drug manufacturers and insurers. Nationwide, she is the No. 2 recipient of donations from the industry, trailing only Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, a member of the Republican leadership.

Some of the same interests that tried to derail Mrs. Clinton’s health care overhaul are providing support for her Senate re-election bid. The Health Insurance Association of America ran the famous “Harry and Louise” commercials mocking the Clinton health care plan as impenetrably complex. Some companies that were members of that group are now donating to Mrs. Clinton.

Charles N. Kahn III, a Republican who was executive vice president of the Health Insurance Association in 1993 and 1994, now works with the senator on some issues as president of the Federation of American Hospitals, a lobby for hospital companies like HCA and Tenet. He describes his battles with the first lady as “ancient history,” and he said health care executives were contributing to her now because “she is extremely knowledgeable about health care and has become a Congressional leader on the issue.”

Senator Clinton has received $150,600 in contributions from insurance and pharmaceutical companies, which she accused in 1993 of “price gouging” and “unconscionable profiteering.”

Senator Clinton has received $150,600 in contributions from insurance and pharmaceutical companies, which she accused in 1993 of “price gouging” and “unconscionable profiteering"

They don't say what Hillary had to do to get the 150 grand.

And any big company can tell you it is always cheaper to buy a politicican than it is to fight them in a public battle. Hillary has said on several occasions that she will never again do what she did with her health care bill.

Hillary knows that she would lose the same battle again. So she is promising not to try it again in exchange for money.

Hillary's price on health care is 150 grand. If they believed she would really try to pass government run health care again, the price would be 5 million

At 10 thousand dollars a month for cancer drugs it should not be no secret why they would want to use her for a vehicle to pound in those profits !

$6,195 a Month for Celgene's Cancer Drug
http://news.yahoo.com/s/huffpost/20060703/cm_huffpost/024293

Typical of cancer drugs, the cost is steep: Though the price has not been set, Avastin costs the average patient $53,000 (U.S.) for a year's supply, though with price controls it would likely cost less in Canada. Erbitux can run up to $100,000 a year, but it, too, is expected to be less expensive.
http://www.ccac-accc.ca/news.asp?frontpage=338

Erbitux At $17,000 a month

Zevalin $24,000-a-month treatment for rare type of lymphoma

Avastin $4,400 a month

http://www.slate.com/id/2102844/

Hell wanna fix the deficit ? dig into te drug company pockets you wont have to reach past the top of the pocket the cash is falling out on the floor !

Hillary's price on health care is 150 grand. If they believed she would really try to pass government run health care again, the price would be 5 million

Good point.

But I take it your wider-angle view on this is that Hillary's given up (for now) on socialized medicine? If she runs for office, and God forbids wins it, you can just bet it'll be back. She won't miss a chance to play governmental Nurse Ratched to millions of captive Boomer votes.

Which is what Hillarycare would look and function like if she ever got it passed.

She won't miss a chance to play governmental Nurse Ratched to millions of captive Boomer votes.

Hillary is still trying to be the best son her father ever had.

She wants to be president. Hillary has a long history of telling people what they want to hear. When she things pro Iraqi war is the majority opinion she is pro war. When she concludes that Anti War is the majority opinion she is anti war.

Hillary and Bill are two peas out of the same pod. They may be inclined to support the left, but the left can go to hell if that is what it takes to keep them popular.

LBJ when asked the difference between VietNam politicians an those in the USA, said, "When you buy an American politican he stays bought!"

An American politican who does not stay bought has a shorter life span than JFK.

Hillary and Bill are two peas out of the same pod. They may be inclined to support the left, but the left can go to hell if that is what it takes to keep them popular.

You're reminding me of Slick's decade-long "Blue Dog"/DLC grand-tactical masquerade.

But I think you're speaking to their exigencies, whereas, with my Nurse Ratched comment, I was speaking to Beast's proclivities. Her tendency to screaming fits, etc., mark her, I think, as a control freak and an operative sadist. A truly bent chick......for someone who used to be, what, a Nixonette? Or was she a Young Republican for Goldwater or whatever they were called? Before the LUG's and SDS got hold of her and turned her into an Alinsky idolatress.

Although Bubba has a temper of his own..... ABC was showing some footage of Slick getting hostile with Charlie Gibson recently (as chops for Charlie), but the classic, to me, was that clip Rush showed on his TV show years ago, back in 1994 I think it was, of Slick turning on one of his cringing 18-year-old "White House aides" because the guy hadn't set Slick up right in one of his perpetual-campaign photo-op/star turns out in the hustings somewhere.

An American politican who does not stay bought has a shorter life span than JFK.

Hmmm. Well, it seems to me that both JFK and RFK were "whacked" because of 1) JFK's having accepted practical help from "Momo" Giancana's Chicago mob in counting the Cook County graveyard vote in 1960 and then 2) unleashing brother Bobby on Jimmy Hoffa and the Mob when, or even because, 3) the Mob had such a stout hold on J. Edgar Hoover and his proclivities, whereas Bobby, they knew, would come after them.

Do you have some other examples of pols who had short shelf lives -- or even literal lives -- because they wouldn't "stay bought"? I can think of DeLesseps S. "Chep" Morrison, former mayor of New Orleans, who died in a light-plane crash down in Mexico mere weeks after losing a close race for the Louisiana governorship to John "Won' you he'p me?" McKeithen and the Long machine (then led by "Black Widow" Blanche Long, who'd put her husband Earl away, then helped McKeithen get elected).

I've always wondered why Lyndon Johnson, who was master of the Senate and beneficial owner of Brown & Root and Sid Richardson's largesse (I think the shoebox full of C-notes that Herman Talmadge's soon-to-be ex threw onto the divorce-court exhibits table originally came from Lint'n.....from Lint'n to Dick Russell to Hummann, is a likely trajectory), would strong-arm his way onto the ticket in 1960 for an office that "Cactus Jack" Garner had once described as not worth "a bucket of warm s*it". Of course he had plans to "move up"..... although I've always wondered how low he stooped to get there.

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