The Hypocrisy of the Democrats on Health Care

For more than 2 decades, the Democrats in Congress have condemned HMO's for their refusal to pay for expensive medical procedures; access to specialists; and, for the denial of expensive, but lifesaving, drugs -- all in an effort to control costs. As you can see from this 1998 news commentary on the Congressional hearings that were being held to address the problems of managed heath care, the Democrats clearly wanted to force HMO's to expand their health care coverage by both legislative and legal means (vis- a-vis medical malpractice lawsuits) (Click to See Story). In that commentary, there is one very specific quote that shows how hypocritical the Democrats have become with Obama leading the charge to health care-less reform:

"Daschle and Kennedy are sponsoring legislation [S. 1890], with Dingell and Ganske in the House [H.R. 3605], incorporating many of these tough provisions, including the right to sue health plans and binding outside review of patient appeals on medical coverage decisions."

Back in 1998, the Democrats were hardly interested in cost containment. In fact, they were only interested in patients getting more and more care without any regard to costs. They were all for suing those HMO's if they didn't provide any of the latest health care and drugs that were available.

Now, today, with Obama at their helm, they are all for cost containment by minimizing or denying expensive health care; by denying access to specialists (Click to See Full Story); and by denying what they deem to be unnecessary drugs -- the very thing that they condemned HMO's for in the 90's! The only thing that is leftover from 1998 is that they still believe that the trial lawyers should sue the hell out of doctors, insurance companies, drug companies, hospitals, and other health care providers!

Apparently, back in the Clinton years -- when the Republicans had control of both Houses of Congress -- the late Senator Kennedy's life ambition was for more health care; not less. Now, with the Democrats in charge, things are completely different with the Kennedy Memorial Health Care Reform Legislation.

How hypocritical is that!

Let's also not forget that it is Tom Daschle, the then-Democratic leader of the Senate, who is now advising Barack Obama on the methods of curtailing health care in America. What a difference two decades and winning control of Congress makes!