The actual reform proposal is available at: http://www.bipartisanpolicy.org/ht/a/GetDocumentAction/i/10782 The major point of criticism is that the law/lobbying firm which Dole-Daschle work for receives half of its revenue from medical corporations.
Today, former senators Tom Daschle and Bob Dole released a plan for health care reform that is being hailed a bipartisan way forward. Headlines blare about the Daschle/Dole plan for health care. But were these two to not have had illustrious careers in the Senate, the headlines would tell a far different story: “Health Care Lobbyists Release Health Care Plan.”
Both Daschle and Dole work for a major Washington, DC lobbying firm, Alston & Bird. Many of Alston & Bird’s major clients are from the health care sector including the American Hospital Association, HealthSouth Corp, and pharmaceutical companies Abbott Laboratories, Bayer, Celgene, and Mylan Laboratories. In total, Alston & Bird is currently representing 31 clients from the health care sector. Of the $2,730,000 reported income received from clients, nearly 50% of that, $1,070,000, comes from these 31 health care clients.
This looks like another benefit of the revolving door. You can release a legislative proposal from outside of Congress and the first thing anyone thinks of is your previous job and not your current one.
The following 31 companies and organizations are listed as health care sector clients of Alston & Bird:
Abbott Laboratories
$30,000.00
Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care
$40,000.00
American Assn of Nurse
Anesthetists
$30,000.00
American Clinical Laboratory Assn
$10,000.00
American College of
Gastroenterology
$50,000.00
American Hospital Assn
$20,000.00
American Orthotic & Prosthetic
Assn
$30,000.00
Anthem Inc
$0.00
Bayer AG
$30,000.00
Celgene
Corp
$90,000.00
Cltn of Full Service Community Hospitals
$40,000.00
Covenant Health System
>$10,000.00
CSL Behring
$30,000.00
CVS/Caremark Corp
$20,000.00
Endo
Pharmaceuticals
$0.00
Fresenius Medical Care
$40,000.00
Fundamental Health
>$0.00
Generic Pharmaceutical Assn
$50,000.00
Giner Inc
$20,000.00
Health
Management Assoc
$30,000.00
HealthSouth Corp
$110,000.00
Humana Inc
$0.00
Kidney Care Council
$90,000.00
Lifescan
$30,000.00
Mylan Laboratories
>$50,000.00
National Assn for Home Care
$50,000.00
National Assn of Behavioral Health
>$20,000.00
Roche Group
$30,000.00
Roho Group
$50,000.00
Tennessee
Hospital Assn
$20,000.00
Vision Service Plan
$50,000.00
Click on the following to read the rest of the story: Sunlight Foundation Blog
