Reps to Request Info on White House Health Care Deals

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http://abcnews.go.com/Health/State_of_the_Union/struck-deals-white-house-healthcare/story?id=9689680


Reps to Request Info on White House Health Care Deals
Lawmakers Poised to Investigate Possible Closed-Door Deals With Industry

By EMILY WALKER
MedPage Today Staff Writer
Jan. 30, 2010

In a rare display of bipartisanship, a top House Democrat agreed to back a Republican lawmaker's quest for details of closed-door deals the White House made with industry insiders to produce a healthcare reform bill.

Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said he'd help Dr. Michael Burgess (R-Texas) seek information on the names of representatives from the pharmaceutical, device, hospital, doctor, and insurance sectors, who met with White House officials regarding healthcare reform.

Waxman and Burgess said they will also request any written materials regarding the "sum and substance" of any deals made when the individual or groups met with a White House representative, and any "written materials memorializing any agreements that were provided to outside participants."

They said they will also request written communications between Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of Health and Human Services, and stakeholders from the healthcare industry.

It's no secret that the White House struck deals with various interest groups in order to win their support for overall healthcare reform.

"What we don't know is who made a deal with whom," said Burgess, an Ob/Gyn.

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