The full transcript will be available at Daily Kos TV, but here’s a snippet:

Their efforts will help us take the next and most important step — comprehensive health care reform — so that we can do what I pledged to do as a candidate and save a typical family an average of $2,500 on their health care costs in the coming years. Let me repeat that point.  What they’re doing is complementary to and is going to be completely compatible with a strong, aggressive effort to move health care reform through here in Washington with an ultimate result of saving health care costs for families, businesses and the government. That’s how we can finally make health care affordable, while putting more money into the pockets of hardworking families each month. These savings can be achieved by standardizing quality care, incentivizing efficiency, investing in proven ways not only to treat illness but to prevent them.

This is a historic day, a watershed event in the long and elusive quest for health care reform. And as these groups take the steps they are outlining, and as we work with Congress on health care reform legislation, my administration will continue working to reduce health care costs to achieve similar savings.  By curbing waste, fraud, and abuse and preventing avoidable hospital re-admissions and taking a whole host of other cost-saving steps, we can save billions of dollars, while delivering better care to the American people. [continue reading]

Obama strikes a deal with the healthcare industry

Monday marked what was essentially the kickoff of President Obama’s attempt to pass major healthcare reform. So, in any other environment, it might have been surprising — even shocking — to see who was guest-starring in the rollout: Some of the biggest players in healthcare, including the descendant of the lobbying group that sponsored ads that have gotten some of the credit for killing a similar effort by the Clinton administration.

Before Obama spoke to reporters, he met with a group of industry executives, including the heads of five large groups that represent a broad swath of companies, as well as union representatives. The organizations have come together to promise the president that they’ll assist his reform efforts by reducing the growth rate in the nation’s annual healthcare spending by 1.5 percentage points, which would save about $2 trillion over 10 years.

“All too often, efforts at reform have fallen victim to special interest lobbying aimed at keeping things the way they are,” Obama said. “And that’s what makes today’s meeting so remarkable, because it’s a meeting that might not have been held just a few years ago. The groups who are here today represent different constituencies with different sets of interests.

“They’ve not always seen eye to eye with each other or with our government on what needs to be done to reform healthcare in this country. In fact, some of these groups were among the strongest critics of past plans for comprehensive reform.”

Given recent history, there are some concerns from progressives that this committment is something less than fully sincere. And there are reasons to be skeptical. [continue reading]

And now here’s some questions and criticism:

Three Questions About Obama’s “Major” Health Care Announcement

1) If the health industry is saying it can lower costs by $2 trillion over 10 years and remain highly profitable, isn’t the industry admitting that it was planning to absolutely bilk consumers, and has been bilking consumers in the past? Put another way, isn’t the industry admitting that it’s entire business model is based on outright profiteering?

2) Why should the American public believe the health industry is going to voluntarily do anything to cut into its profits? Health executives have a fiduciary responsibility to private shareholders to maximize profits. Voluntarily lowering those profits would violate that fiduciary responsibility. Are we really expected to believe these health executives will, out of the goodness of their hearts, violate their fiduciary responsibilities? What has actually changed to suggest that they will violate their fiduciary responsibilities and help health care consumers?

3) Isn’t President Obama legitimizing voices that will use that added credibility later on to try to derail serious health care reform? Today’s press conference has the President of the United States effectively saying that the health insurance industry should have a major seat at the health-reform table - and that it should be trusted. But any serious health care reform will need to take on the health insurance industry in a way that will make that industry unhappy. When that eventually happens, won’t the previous efforts to legitimize the health insurance industry’s voice add credibility to its opposition to reform? I think so, and agree with Ezra Klein who says, “The fact that the White House is making a big deal of [the health industry's] support means” the White House is suggesting that it “would be a big deal if they lost it.” [continue reading]

The Health Care Industry’s PR Scam

In a much-anticipated statement today, Barack Obama announced what is largely a public relations end-run by the health care industry, designed to trim a few scraps off of the nation’s porcine health care budget, while preserving its basic system of medicine for profit. [continue reading]

No One’s Falling for Big Health’s Bogus Promise to “Reform”

This week, the health care lobby scored a cunning propaganda victory by feigning interest in fixing the perennial rip-off we call a health care system.

With much fanfare, Big Health trotted out a six-month old “promise” — a toothless, non-binding pledge lacking any specifics — to make various nips and tucks that would slow the rate at which health costs grow to “only” 4.7 percent annually. It was hailed by the Obama administration and many observers as a breakthrough in the battle for reform.

Until recently, the health care industry has been dead-set on preserving a disastrous but profitable status quo (The U.S. spends close to twice as much per person on care than other wealthy countries, and gets consistently poorer results; among residents of 30 rich countries polled by Gallup, Americans came in 18th in terms of satisfaction with their care). But now the “disease care” industry is portraying itself as an agent of change. Fearful of a growing movement towards real, substantive reform, it’s trying to co-opt the process under the guise of “getting a seat at the table.” That they’ve given up, for now, their oppositional stance is what has so many tongues wagging about the significance of the proposal. [continue reading]

That Didn’t Take Long: Insurance Industry Breaks Promise To President Obama

Just four days after standing next to President Obama and declaring their commitment to control health care costs to the tune of $2 trillion over 10 years, the insurance industry, drug and medical device makers, and hospital groups are backing off their promise:

Hospitals and insurance companies said Thursday that President Obama had substantially overstated their promise earlier this week to reduce the growth of health spending.

Mr. Obama invited health industry leaders to the White House on Monday to trumpet their cost-control commitments. But three days later, confusion swirled in Washington as the companies’ trade associations raced to tamp down angst among members around the country.…

Health care leaders who attended the meeting have a different interpretation. They say they agreed to slow health spending in a more gradual way and did not pledge specific year-by-year cuts.

“There’s been a lot of misunderstanding that has caused a lot of consternation among our members,” said Richard J. Umbdenstock, the president of the American Hospital Association. “I’ve spent the better part of the last three days trying to deal with it.” [continue reading]

Now here’s the Single-Payer Movement:

Rep Kucinich: “Healthcare is a Civil Right!”

At a press conference on Capitol Hill Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich (D-OH) spoke out strongly for a single payer healthcare system.

Baucus’s Raucous Caucus: Doctors, Nurses and Activists Arrested Again for Protesting Exclusion of Single-Payer Advocates at Senate Hearing on Healthcare

Advocates of single-payer universal healthcare—the system favored by most Americans—continue to protest their exclusion from discussions on healthcare reform. On Tuesday, five doctors, nurses and single-payer advocates were arrested at a Senate Finance Committee hearing, bringing the total number of arrests in less than a week to thirteen. We speak with two of those arrested: Single Payer Action founder Russell Mokhiber and Dr. Margaret Flowers of Physicians for a National Health Program.

Why We Risked Arrest for Single-Payer

The fact that a national health insurance program is supported by the majority of the public, doctors and nurses apparently means nothing to Sen. Baucus. The fact that thousands of people in America are dying every year because they can’t get health care means nothing. The fact that over 1 million Americans go into bankruptcy every year due to medical debt – even though most of them had insurance when they got sick – means nothing.

And so, as the May 5 meeting approached, we prepared for another one of the highly scripted, well-protected events that are supposed to make up the “health care debate” using standard tools of advocacy. We organized call-in days and faxes to the members of the committee requesting the presence of one single-payer advocate at the table of 15. Despite thousands of calls and faxes, the only reply – received on the day before the event – was, “Sorry, but no more invitations will be issued.”

We knew that this couldn’t be correct. We had heard Sen. Baucus say on that very same day that “all options were on the table.” And so, the next day, we donned our suits and traveled to Washington. We had many knowledgeable single-payer advocates in our group. And as the meeting started, one of us, Mr. Russell Mokhiber, stood up to say that we were here and we were ready to take a seat. And he was promptly removed from the room. [continue reading]

The Single Payer Fire Has Been Lit

… doctors, nurses and advocates stood up and one by one and spoke directly to Senator Baucus.

DeAnn McEwen, a registered nurse from California said: “Today is Florence Nightingale’s birthday. Florence Nightingale said ‘if there were none to hope for any better, there would never be any better.’ This country needs a single payer health care system.”

Then, another RN from California, Sue Cannon, stood up: “People at the table have failed Americans for 30 years. We want single payer at the table. We want guaranteed health care so we can give the care we need, when we need to give it.”

She was followed by Dr. Judy Dasovich of Springfield, Missouri, who said “We request that single payer advocates be allowed at the table. Health care should be for patients not for profits.”

Dr. Steven Fenichel of Ocean City, NJ followed adding: “It’s a sense of outrage that brings me to your Senate chambers today. These people were entrusted by the American people to serve the American people’s interests. And they are just serving the interests of the insurance companies and drug companies – the people be damned.”

Jerry Call, a member of Physicians for a National Health Program from South Thomaston, Maine was the final advocate from the audience, speaking for the majority of Americans shut out from the discussion, and saying: “Sixty percent of Americans and sixty percent of physicians want single payer. Why aren’t sixty percent of the people up front not single payer representatives?”

All five were arrested and taken away for booking. They were charged with Disruption of Congress, the same offense I will go to court for on May 26th. [continue reading]

Single Payer: Medicare for All

Actor Mike Farrell at Capitol Hill Rally for Single Payer Healthcare

One of the speakers at a Capitol Hill rally, on Wednesday, May 13, 2009, advocating for a Single Payer Healthcare System was actor Mike Farrell. Mr. Farrell is a long time champion of progressive causes and a proud member of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG). The spirited event was organized by the California Nurses Assoc/NNOC. The healthcare activists are supporting HR 676 and S 703, now pending before the U.S. Congress. For background and any updates, see: healthcare-now.org and http://singlepayeraction.org

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