ObamaCare Architect Leaves Adminsitration For....Big Pharma Job

[JVB]

No surprise of course, for anyone but the most ardent Obama supporters.

Liz Fowler, well known as the architect of President Obama’s Affordable Care Act, never really left the healthcare industry. Before and after working as chief health policy counsel for Sen. Max Baucus [[the position from which she drafted Obamacare), Fowler worked for the nation’s largest health insurance provider Well Point. She was then appointed by Obama to oversee the implementation of her Obamacare legislation and now, as Glenn Greenwald flagged Wednesday, will be taking up a senior position with Johnson & Johnson.As Greenwald noted:

The pharmaceutical giant that just hired Fowler actively supported the passage of Obamacare through its membership in the Pharmaceutical Researchers and Manufacturers of America [[PhRMA) lobby. Indeed, PhRMA was one of the most aggressive supporters – and most lavish beneficiaries – of the health care bill drafted by Fowler. Mother Jones’ James Ridgeway proclaimed “Big Pharma” the “big winner” in the health care bill. And now, Fowler will receive ample rewards from that same industry as she peddles her influence in government and exploits her experience with its inner workings to work on that industry’s behalf, all of which has been made perfectly legal by the same insular, Versailles-like Washington culture that so lavishly benefits from all of this.

Fowler’s dizzying spins through the Washington/healthcare industry revolving door dampen any arguments that aim to frame Obamacare as a progressive victory over health insurance companies. “Whatever one’s views on Obamacare were and are,” noted Greenwald, “the bill’s mandate that everyone purchase the products of the private health insurance industry, unaccompanied by any public alternative, was a huge gift to that industry.” Now Fowler will bring her gifts — connections, influence and deep insider knowledge — to Johnson & Johnson

Source.

This shit just never ends, one administration after another the American people keep getting raped and all we do is argue with each other over which bed we'd like to be violated on.

[Zacha341]

Let the games begin!

[rb336]

No surprise of course, for anyone but the most ardent Obama supporters.

No, even the most ardent Obama supporters knew the ACA was a sop to the insurance and pharma industries

[oladub]

There was curiously nothing on Wikipedia about Ms. Fowler' biography. The internet seems to have been scrubbed which is surprising considering how she has helped transform America. I traced her as far back as the University of Pennsylvania looking for biographical material; where did she come from, whom is she related to, etc.. I did find an article about a very talented attorney in England named Liz Fowler but could not determine if it was the same Liz. Our Ms. Fowler served as VP of public policy and external affairs at Wellpoint. http://www.google.com/imgres?q=Liz+F...,r:9,s:0,i:114

English Liz Fowler


Wellpoint/Obamacare/J&J Liz Fowler


I would guess that these two are different highly talented corporate lawyers but what a coincidence having the same name.

While on the subject of Obamacare; Rep. Pelosi was right about passing Obamacare to find out what's in it. Today, we found out about a new middle class tax. Technically, this is a fee charged to insurance companies which they pass along so it isn't a "tax".

Surprise: New insurance fee in health overhaul law
$63 per insured American

[stanman13]

To the people who insist that government should be run like a business, this should seem perfectly appropriate. If we want industry leaders to come from the private sector to work in the corresponding branches of government, according to their areas of expertise, then we should expect to see this kind of incestuous relationship become the norm. Would we expect a pharmaceutical expert to seek work in the agricultural field? No. Would we expect any of our government service providers to just retire and never work again after working in gov? Then we'd call them lifetime politicians, and we dont want to provide lifetime benefits anyway. So what do we actually want? Government run like a business or not? If we do, then this will be business as usual.

[poobert]

I suppose she should just go work at McDonald's, instead.

[JBMcB]

To the people who insist that government should be run like a business, this should seem perfectly appropriate.

There's a distinct difference between being run *like* a business, and being run *for* business.