Tom Daschle reveals that a secret deal was cut with hospital executives in the summer of 2009 for the hospitals to accepts approximately $155 billion in cuts in exchange for Dems dropping plans for a public option, which would have foisted massive cuts in reimbursements on the hospitals compared to private insurers.
From our point of view, this is just more evidence of the dishonesty of the process, with the American people being sold out in secret deals with major corporate interests so that Obama could get control over one-sixth of the economy at any price.
Funny thing is, the “progressive” blogosphere agrees with this assessment, although from a different point of view.
Obama stuck it to them, lied to them, and deceived them, and they knew it when it was happening:
- Glenn Greenwald: I told you so.
- David Dayen: I told you so.
- Digby: I told you so.
We may disagree on our respective visions of the health care system, but we should at least agree that we, as a nation, were lied to.
——————————————–
Related Posts:
The Left Brought The Wave Down On Itself
An Open Letter to Jane Hamsher
Obama Owns Them
Follow me on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube
DONATE
Donations tax deductible
to the full extent allowed by law.
Comments
I say good! At least this secret deal, unlike most, was to everybody's benefit. A public option is not an "option" but yet another expensive government boondoggle/entitlement that sucks money and energy out of the private sector and gives more control to the politicians and bureaucrats in Washington.
Unfortunately, ObamaCare has so many ways and means to arrive at a public option, that a single payer/government monopoly is still very much a real possibility. 🙁
Glenn and David, yes. Digby, no. She sold out and became a cheerleader rather than an advocate back in 2008.
Most of the big progressive bloggers decided to help the administration pass the public option by making any discussion of single payer (Medicare for all) taboo on their blogs.
But Obama screwed them too.
I understand y'all are conservatives. I'm a liberal. What we should have had was a debate on health care reform. That's how democracy is supposed to work.
Instead we had backroom deals where none of us were invited, just the special interests.
Now the Democrats can't figure out why we lack enthusiasm. Go figure.
Everybody got screwed, even the saucer-eyed leftists who got sucked in by The One. You're more charitable than I am (commies the lot of 'em), but it's an interesting story.
I don't see the point in nitpicking it right now. We all know how the process went down; we knew we were being lied to from the start. We didn't want it, but it was going to pass by any means necessary. Even if single-payer or public option is not in the law, the results of the legislation will lead to it. Witness companies dropping coverage and insurance companies raising rates. Fascist government will step in and shut them down, and all we'll be left with is single-payer/public option…which won't be an option, because there will be no choice.