The revolving door spins faster on healthcare reform

[Jefferson23]

Thursday, Jul 15, 2010 14:46 ET

By Glenn Greenwald

Beginning in 2001, Liz Fowler was the Chief Counsel for the Senate Finance Committee in charge of health and entitlement issues, i.e., legislation that primarily affected the healthcare industry. As her own biography boasts:


In this capacity, she was responsible for overseeing health policy issues within the Committee's jurisdiction, including Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP, health tax issues and initiatives to provide health coverage for the uninsured. She played a key role in the 2003 Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act (MMA).


Her work in that government health policy position was apparently quite pleasing to the healthcare industry because, in 2006, she was hired by the health insurance giant WellPoint to serve as its Vice President for Public Policy and External Affairs -- in other words, overseeing WellPoint's lobbying and other government-influencing activities. Then, in 2008, once it was likely that there would be a Democratic President and thus a new, massive healthcare bill enacted, Fowler left WellPoint and returned to the Senate, as top aide to Democratic Sen. Max Baucus, the Senate Finance Committee Chairman who would oversee the drafting of the healthcare bill (Baucus's previous top healthcare aide, Michelle Easton, a former PhRMA official, left to become a lobbyist for the healthcare industry). Now, as David Sirota noted last night, Fowler has a brand new job, as reported by The Billings Gazette:


Liz Fowler, a key staffer for U.S. Sen. Max Baucus who helped draft the federal health reform bill enacted in March, is joining the Obama administration to help implement the new law.


remainder: http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/07/15/fowler/index.html

[fascisthunter]

1. more corruption

[Jefferson23]

3. I don't know what to say sometimes, Obama is breaking a lot of hearts..not just mine.

[fascisthunter]

4. there is nothing to say....

and unfortunately anything we do say will be misconstrued as a personal attack on the president or the democratic party, yes our own party. Sad times.

[HughMoran]

5. Oh fer fucks sake

:eyes:

[Jefferson23]

8. You're pleased, satisfied, good for you. n/t

[HughMoran]

11. Oh, fer fucks sake

:eyes:

[Jefferson23]

13. A man of many words you are, ok then. n/t

[Doctor_J]

2. Our government makes the Kremlin look like choirboys

The most corrupt political body ever.

[burnsei sensei]

25. +1 nt

[NJmaverick]

6. Another intellectually dishonest article by Greenwald

I am baffled as to why Salon allows Glenn to sully the magazine's fine reputation with these deceptive hit pieces.

[Jefferson23]

7. List the inaccuracies.

[NJmaverick]

9. There are no facts to dispute, which is why it's not intellectually honest

so your challenge is pointless

[Jefferson23]

12. LOL, thanks for the laugh. n/t

[NJmaverick]

16. GG claims that Liz Fowler is acting in bad faith

so please provide PROOF to support that accusation rather than laughing.

[Jefferson23]

17. Why don't you read the OP, she already HAS worked to ensure

a bill that does not act in the best interest of Americans. Are you serious with these questions??

The Max Baucus WellPoint/Liz Fowler Plan

http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/09/08/liz-fowlers-plan/

From the OP:
"Her work in that government health policy position was apparently quite pleasing to the healthcare industry because, in 2006, she was hired by the health insurance giant WellPoint to serve as its Vice President for Public Policy and External Affairs -- in other words, overseeing WellPoint's lobbying and other government-influencing activities."

And I'll wait a little longer for you to list any inaccurate information, and then tell me why anyone would want Fowler.

Until then, your earlier response is without substance, but I think you already know that.

[NJmaverick]

19. I read the OP, that's how I know there is no proof Glenn is running an insinuation based

smear campaign that is completely lacking in intellectual honesty.

[Jefferson23]

20. You are not serious, there is indisputable information on what she

already has worked on with Baucus. You want to deny her documented role, and Bill Moyers also reported on her btw, be my guest.

[NJmaverick]

21. While the information is "indisputable" it is also lacking in terms of proof to support

some serious and ultimately irresponsible accusations.

[Jefferson23]

22. Greenwald has not made accusations. He lists with sources what her work involved

with Baucus. A lobbyist has been hired, and that is more than unfortunate for the majority of Americans.

[NJmaverick]

23. Quoting and agreeing with an accusation is the same thing

from the article:

"It’s a nice trick: send your VP to write a law mandating that the middle class buy shitty products like yours, then watch that VP move into the executive branch to 'oversee' the implementation of the law."


What I don't see is any definitive proof to support that accusation that this was an industry plot.

[Jefferson23]

24. Which is supported by Fowler's past documented input.

Industry plot? I just know she was hired, there are many others who could have been selected instead who have no back story as she has.

[alarimer]

26. She's a fucking corporate tool. OF COURSE she acts in bad faith

It's a given with these corporatists, including Obama. They do whatever they can to please corporations and to dismantle whatever little progress we have made.

This cushy job is her reward for pushing through the most corporate-friendly health care bill possible.

Fuck all these corporate shitheads AND their apologists.

Anyone who doesn't see what is wrong here is a complete fucking idiot. Obama is proceeding to break every single fucking campaign promise. He is without a doubt the biggest fucking liar that I have ever had the misfortune of voting for. Never again.

I have had it up to hear with the corporations and their lackeys in government. BOTH political parties are so thoroughly corrupt that I cannot trust anyone anymore.

[treestar]

10. I don't know; this sort of thing is unavoidable

People who have knowledge and experience with these areas have often worked in the relevant fields. If we are going to have the regulatory government we want, we will need people with this type of experience. Merely saying she is evil because she worked a few years with an insurance company is a shallow view of her.

[Jefferson23]

14. Unavoidable, why is that? And he is not stating that she is evil

because she worked a few years with an insurance company.

From the OP, and there exists more on her contributions, but to suggest she has no agenda would be false considering her past input:

"overseeing WellPoint's lobbying and other government-influencing activities."

[treestar]

15. Even so, that doesn't mean she can't implement this law and

that she is not the best person to do it. We don't even know why she left this insurance company. maybe she didn't like working for them.

[Jefferson23]

18. I think that is highly unlikely treestar, so we'll have to agree to disagree and

I thank you for the respectful conversation.