The Men behind the Disaster
Yesterday, hundreds of activists protested outside of HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt’s House demanding that the May 15th deadline be extended. Leavitt has insisted upon keeping the administration’s deadline, while millions of seniors will soon be getting hit with lifetime penalties and the inability to sign up for Part D until 2007.
Meanwhile, several public interest groups called for a corruption investigation into the prescription drug law. A new report released by the Campaign for America’s future highlights how former Rep. Billy Tauzin, R-La helped shape the bill for PhRMA, rather than for the seniors he represented. I’m sure negotiating with PhRMA to become their top, and one of DC’s highest paid, lobbyists had nothing to do with him insisting on provisions that forbid Medicare from negotiating prices. Wink, wink.
Former Medicare chief Thomas Scully also receives scrutiny in the report. Scully received an “ethics waiver” from the Bush administration permitting him to negotiate his next job while working to pass Part D on behalf of the administration. Immediately after its passage, he left the administration to become a health industry lobbyist. I think I'll email the protesters and tell them that Mike Leavitt’s house isn’t the only one that needs to be visited!
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