News Flash: Obama supporters support Obama!

A self-described group of "stakeholders" has reached out to the Obama administration on behalf of the private sector.  The Democrat Media are quite excited:

• "Private sector signs on for health care reform."
  
• "Obama wins business support for health care reform."
  
• "Obama Promised $2 Trillion Savings in 10 Years by Health Groups"
  
• "Obama has secured the commitment of several industry groups to do their part to rein in the growth in health care costs."
  
• "Obama lauds industry offer to cut health costs."
  
• "These and other reforms will make our health care system stronger and more sustainable."

This sounds good, right?  Finally, everybody coming together to solve problems.  It's nonpartisan, and it's very warm and fuzzy.  

Do you believe this?  Don't.

This group of stakeholders says it wants to provide support for the bloated Obama administration to do the following: 

• Reduce waste and improve efficiency
  
• Encourage coordinated care
• Focus on administrative simplification and transparency
  
• Reduce the cost of doing business

Obviously, bloated government bureaucracies are better than anyone else in finding ways to reduce the burden administrative costs, improve efficiency, eliminate waste and reduce the cost of doing business.  Why didn't I come up with this brilliant plan?

The so-called stakeholders claim to represent the private sector: physicians and other health care workers, hospitals, payers, suppliers, manufacturers, and organized labor.  But who are these people — really?

RightKlik takes a look at the signatories:

Service Employees International Union.

SEIU spent $18,818,358.97 through December of 2008 to help elect Obama. This does not include the money SEIU spent against McCain.  News flash: Obama supporters support Obama!

The American Medical Association

Forget what you think you know about the AMA.  The AMA (based in Chicago) is an increasingly leftist organization (on issues ranging from global warming to LGBT advocacy). The AMA in no way represents the majority of physicians in the United States.  Reliable numbers are not easy to find, but AMA membership is estimated to represent 15-26% of America's practicing physicians.  The AMA is credited for having helped to defeat HillaryCare, but since that time, the AMA has made a 175 degree turn.  The AMA has been pushing for universal health care for years.

Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America

The President of PhRMA, Billy Tauzin, was a Blue Dog Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives during the Reagan years.  After the balance of power shifted with the success of the Contract with America, he jumped ship to join the Republicans.  Tauzin played a key role in shepherding the massively expensive and unnecessary Medicare prescription drug entitlement program through Congress.

American Hospital Association

No advocate of free market solutions to America's health care ills, the AHA calls for a three-pronged approach to the problems of the uninsured: increased government spending, greater government spending, and more government spending.

America's Health Insurance Plans

Karen Ignagni, President and CEO of America’s Health Insurance Plans, was once a big wig at the AFL-CIO. AHIP proposes guaranteed government coverage for people with pre-existing medical conditions (the sick people) in conjunction with an enforceable individual coverage mandate (how convenient).  To help working families afford coverage, advanceable and refundable tax credits should be available, phasing out as income approaches 400 percent of the federal poverty line (People making up to $100,000/year or more, those poor dears).

Advanced Medical Technology Association 

It's not easy to find dirt on AdvaMed.  It should be noted, however, that members of AdvaMed can expect to profit handsomely as they position themselves to benefit from Obama's push to implement Health IT in its various forms (electronic health records, telemedicine).

These lobbyists, union bosses, politicians, and business executives have been in bed with government for a long time.

They see the incremental takeover of the private banking system, they saw how Obama seized control of the U.S. auto industry, and they know that public support for government-run health care is creeping upward. 

They see the writing on the wall and they know Obama plays hard ball.  They know political gamesmanship is an increasingly important part of the process of doing business.  If big business doesn't play by Barack's rules, the results can be painful.  

These people don't represent you, me or the future generations who will pay for Obama's socialist dystopia.  They don't represent the "private sector." They don't fight for the free market and they're not champions of capitalism.  The represent their own narrow, short-sighted self-interests.

Update: Health Care Leaders Say Obama Overstated Their Promise to Control Costs.  (This is what happens when you play with fire.)  H/T: Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion

More

The Stakeholders Letter on Cost Control 

Obama wins business support for health care reform.

The AMA's Voice for the Uninsured

Howard Dean — We've had quite enough capitalism:

h/t: My Freedom Post