When Democrats were grappling with sky-high inflation just a couple of years ago, Trump called their plans to fight price gouging by American companies "communism." Now that it’s the Republican Party getting blamed for high prices, Trump Cabinet members — and GOP lawmakers on Capitol Hill — are doing much the same, laying into CEOs and calling for new regulations and antitrust suits.
My goodness! I'd put this right up there with Susan Collins' "concern."
“They are making money hand over fist,” Bob Kennedy said of insurance companies at a Ways and Means Committee hearing yesterday. Later, he agreed with House Budget Chair Jodey Arrington (R-Texas) that the Federal Trade Commission needed to start bringing some antitrust suits against health industry firms.
Wait! Wasn't this kind of talk showing support for holding the health insurance industry accountable THE EXACT SAME THING as shooting down insurance executives in the street? I AM SO CONFUSED. I mean, they basically siphoned off the kind of federal cash that made the Affordable Care Act affordable!
Facing a rising cost of living that threatens their chances to hold onto their majorities in Congress in November, Republican members of Congress and Trump officials testifying before their committees Thursday repeatedly made their longtime allies in industry the scapegoat. It was yet another indication of how much Trump’s populist politics have changed the party of business, and how deep a hole polls show Republicans are in right now on the economy.
“Industry consolidation with huge companies swallowing up various parts of the health care system has helped pad the bottom line of big corporations, while doing little to support the health or well-being of working class Americans,” said Jason Smith, the Missouri Republican who chairs the Ways and Means Committee. Smith decried “major health insurance empires” and hospital CEOs who’d “driven up prices without expanding access to care.”. Smith is bringing health systems’ leaders to testify before his panel later this month.
Far be it from me to agree with Mr. Smith, although I wish Republicans would start with the pharmacy benefits managers and companies like Caremark first. I mean, I have a freakin' BROKEN BACK and couldn't get the local CVS to fill the entire prescription for 30 pain pills.
Understand, they're not really trying to protect us. These policies are meant to discourage doctors from prescribing anything that doesn't make money for them. Did you know pharmaceutical companies actually buy their way onto those "approved" lists? Yes, just like cereal companies do with display space in your local supermarket. Sheesh.
