Is Obama Selling Us Out?

The title is a take on my colleague's previous entry, but the content is a bit different. The Huffington Post reported yesterday that the White House and the lobbying group PhRMA (short for Pharmaceutical Researchers and Manufacturers Association) have made a deal allowing $80 billion in cuts from the pharmaceutical companies in exchange for opposing efforts to import drugs from Canada or lower costs on prescriptions.

This is exactly the kind of behind-the-door dealing that the RNC used against Candidate Obama last year, and what he had vowed not to do. If transparency really is a concern for the Obama administration, it would be in his best interest to acknowledge this memo for what it is: a display of quid pro quo for the pharmaceutical industry, allowing lobbyists to once again control Washington politics and secure huge financial profits. It's quite despicable and something I had hoped the Obama administration would not become involved in.

Don't worry, private health insurers, you'll still be making billions of dollars even after the health care bill passes. As for the private citizens of this country, well, we still seem to be getting screwed somehow.