Dr. Dean: "Both the House bills and the Senate bills are GOOD and I'd vote for

[pnwmom]

either one if I were a member of Congress.. . . in general they're both very, very good bills. . . This isn't the kind of reform I'd love, but this is pretty good stuff and it really will make a difference."

(Just saw him on MSNBC.)

[polichick]

1. He also said it wasn't the kind of reform he would love, but...

"This is pretty good stuff and it really will make a difference."

[pnwmom]

2. Right. nt

[polichick]

6. I was glad to hear it because I tend to trust Dean. nt

[pnwmom]

20. He's made a practice of speaking his mind. He's not a typical politician and

I think we can believe that he means what he says -- and he's certainly in a better position to understand these issues than most people.

[calimary]

22. So do I. Same thing with Alan Grayson.

If he's okay with it, then I guess I can be, too.

FOR STARTERS, anyway. This is just the opening round. We're just getting started on this road to real reform. But we need to get started and this is a start, at least. And yes I know I'm writing this basically attempting to convince myself. I DO look at who else is for it and that makes a difference. Those two men have a lot of credibility with me. If they're talking, I'm going to listen and pay attention.

[polichick]

24. I heard Grayson tonight too - yes, that was a comfort. nt

[mzmolly]

35. Ditto.

:hi:

[GreenPartyVoter]

61. I have been saying all along I would wait until I saw the final bill

before really being concerned, but try as I might this week I am really feeling frustrated.

But, I won't give up all hope until we get that final bill.

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

81. I tend to trust Dr. Dean and Paul Krugman

But the bill does include a “medium-strength” public option, in which the public plan would negotiate payment rates — defying the predictions of pundits who have repeatedly declared any kind of public-option plan dead. It also includes more generous subsidies than expected, making it easier for lower-income families to afford coverage. And according to Congressional Budget Office estimates, almost everyone — 96 percent of legal residents too young to receive Medicare — would get health insurance.

So should progressives get behind this plan? Yes. And they probably will.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/30/opinion/30krugman.html?_r=1&src=twt&twt=NytimesKrugman

[eridani]

85. Krugman is back to shilling for Hillary's plan n/t

[tridim]

3. Oooh that's gotta sting.

It's still up there..

[FrenchieCat]

4. But, but, but....

I thought we were supposed to say "Fuck this shit!" and wait for another 50 years,
and add more deaths to the tally while waiting and complaining!

I though folks like me (self employed)
who will benefit from the public option don't count for anything

.....and as long as it ain't Medicare for all, it ain't progress! :shrug:

[pnwmom]

9. FrenchieCat, I have at least one relative

who is currently uninsurable, so I'm with you. Half of a loaf is definitely better than no loaf at all.

[bobbolink]

23. Reasonable people can disagree.

Oh wait....

[FrenchieCat]

27. Reasonable people don't act like if they don't get everything they want,

the "it ain't shit"....which is why they are called reasonable.

[bobbolink]

31. I replied just to watch you condemn anyone who has a different opinion.

It's your one note.

It must be really lonely be the only "right" person in the world.

[FrenchieCat]

36. I'm not the only "right" person in the room, but I'm one of many who has an opinion,

which is why, like you, I post on these boards.

It is almost like you think you have more than one note....
cause you don't.....

[bobbolink]

37. You're going downhill..... you can flame better than that.

The difference is, you flame more than just about anybody, and do it with a sneer.

As I said, that was the only reason I replied.. to watch you claim superiority.

Which you don't have.

[FrenchieCat]

40. Superior is relative....So like superior to what?

You are the one instigating this back and forth, not I.

Far as I'm concerned, you have a right to your opinions, even if they are about me personally,
and what you judge my character or agenda to be.....
but that's all that it is; your opinion....
even if you somehow think that you have a corner market on "what, is",
you really don't.

[bobbolink]

44. hehehehe.... you call names, you castigate, you barge into forums not your own and attack...

Then pretend to be so meek.... "It's all opinion."

The claws are always there.

[bvar22]

46. Good Job. +1 for the "set up".

:patriot:

[FrenchieCat]

50. Oooh....pile on!

How sweet that must feel! :party:

[bobbolink]

54. Thanks. I think.

None of this makes me happy.... or feeling good.

I just got tired of bullies, and started handing it back instead of being hurt.

[FrenchieCat]

56. You bullied me within this thread,

so you couldn't be too tired of bullies....
you poor victim you! :cry:

I'm still waiting to know which forums are not my own,
where I have been posting.....
So that I can learn where it is that I should go; so I can know my place.

[bobbolink]

63. BWHAHAHAHA!!! You really got the projection thing down really gooooood.

[FrenchieCat]

65. Which Forums do I post at which are Not my Forums according to you?

3rd time asking; still waiting......

[bobbolink]

66. Baiting me to try to get me to break rules? You KNOW the answer... you had

great fun. So pretend to be impatient/patient all you want... it is transparent.

[FrenchieCat]

70. Gee, so sorry. I thought you made the rules....considering

that you are the one that referred to this "Not your Own" forum business when you were attacking me,
and attempting to make me feel "less than" just for having an opinion that wasn't in concert with all of the "He gave us CPR to bring this country back from the brink, and then I let him have it...and told him his breath stinks....so I'm now I'm the real hero" crowd.

[bobbolink]

125. Are you trying to be a model of decorum for "progressives" to follow?

Your behavior toward those who are on the same side (supposedly) is very sad.

There are many who come to DU to put down others, and I guess get quite a bit of entertainment from doing so, but rather than coming across as clever, it's just sad.

[Jakes Progress]

74. Now bobo, put down that reflex hammer,

Frencie's gonna pop a patella.

[FrenchieCat]

48. What forums are "Not my own", I ask you, obvious superior person of authority

in such matters?

[Number23]

91. Shit, I'm waiting for an answer too!

"you barge into forums not your own and attack..."

If that ain't some cryptic, 007-sounding mess I don't know what is...

[dionysus]

109. i think the's insinuating obama supporters aren't allowed in General discussion, and only belong in

GD : P

[dionysus]

108. you're not part of their club unless you hate obama and most democrats, i suppose.

[dionysus]

107. "The difference is, you flame more than just about anybody, and do it with a sneer." Frenchie?

pass me some of what you're smokin pal...
:rofl:

[eridani]

87. Anything that strips me of most of my discretionary income is not "reasonable" n/t

[redqueen]

104. +1,000,000,000,000,000

[berni_mccoy]

83. +1 Frenchie, + Fucking 1

[eridani]

86. It isn't Medicare for some either. If is massive theft at gunpoint for those of midest means n/t

[optimator]

5. he is wrong

we all have opinions.

[FrenchieCat]

7. His counts more than others......

Because he knows what in the fuck he is talking about....
others, not so much.

[pnwmom]

10. His is an educated opinion from one of the most forthright politicians in

either party. I was happy to hear it.

[emulatorloo]

26. +1, as they say on the internet

I am always happy to hear from Dr. Dean on the issue. His informed opinion has a lot of weight.

[goclark]

64. Yes, I love and respect the good doctor

and I am happy to get back to the real point of this thread.

[tridim]

11. Most of us want HCR, others want Utopia NOW..

And if they don't get it all, nobody gets anything.

[pnwmom]

14. That about sums it up. n/t

[FrenchieCat]

15. reminds me of selfish spoiled children.....

saying "If I can't have it, nobody can!"......

I expect this from Republicans....
but from our side, I expected more balanced opinions.

[Cant trust em]

21. Funny how I keep agreeing with the same posters over and over.

I read the post first, nod in agreement and then look at the name.

[bvar22]

49. Utopia..... No,

We just want what the rest of the civilized World takes for granted.

Of course, as Good Democrats, we should now just be happy with much, much less, and learn to be grateful for the ass fuckings from our Corporate Masters and their bought dogs in Washington.


Can I borrow some of your Vaseline?
Seems to be working OK for you.
I've heard some people learn to like ass fuckings.
Any tips?

[tridim]

53. Yea, here's a tip

Grow up.

[Name removed]

55. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[FrenchieCat]

57. If your ass fucking is the lifesaver for millions of others......

I say, go without.

[dionysus]

114. b-bu buh buh, you have blood on your hands!!11!!1 *stroke*, *collapse*.

the best imitation i can do on short notice... ;)

[dionysus]

112. what are you 12? cut the melodrama. because your impossible single payer won't happen,

because anyone with a functioning brain stem knows it has no where *near* the support to go anywhere, anything less to you is an "ass-fucking"?

you'd rather have no improvement at all and run around with your hair on fire.

[eridani]

88. We don't want outright theft and highway robbery n/t

[redqueen]

105. That's what it seems like, yes. (nt)

[Ardent15]

8. The key words are "This isn't the kind of reform I'd love."

Single-payer should have been the goal, with the STRONG public option being a compromise.

[FrenchieCat]

12. Wrong......

This ain't an all or nothing proposition we are talking about.....

the key words are....."Both the House bills and the Senate bills are GOOD and I'd vote for
either one if I were a member of Congress"

That is key.

[Ardent15]

17. We'll see.

I hope you're right. I really do.

[FrenchieCat]

25. It's not a question of hope, it is a question of fact.......

what Dr. Dean stated is not negotiable or up to interpretation,
as he made himself quite clear.
We don't always get exactly what we want,
and grown ups understand that this is a fact of life.

[DireStrike]

68. So you are a grown up because you have that opinion and others have another?

Well I can tell you for a fact that that's a childish attitude.

Dean's opinion is an opinion. It does not make it fact just because a generally good guy says he thinks something.

[pnwmom]

13. No, the key word is "BUT." Although he had supported another kind of reform,

he still thinks these bills are "very, very, good."

[GreenPartyVoter]

59. That was my hope too. Start from universal single payer and wind up at

a strong public option. I fear that by starting from a mediocre PO we will wind up with only marginal reform.

Better than none at all? Sure thing. But it's still sad to think how much further we have to go and I just don't see it happening any time soon after this.

[SIMPLYB1980]

16. Watch it Dean,

You'll get called DLC!!11!

[OneGrassRoot]

18. I was relieved to hear his thoughts....

It's all still like white noise to me now -- and the word "mandate" is scaring me as I can't imagine even a $200/month extra expenditure (self-employed, uninsured) -- but I was relieved to hear his thoughts, especially since he is not running for office.

[nightrain]

19. LOL!

[emulatorloo]

28. I see Boehner is bitching about the bill and how evil the Democrats are. So I guess it can't be all

bad. Have not heard any details yet, watching Countdown soon.

[Thrill]

29. You don't get everything you want

in the legislation process.

[Sebastian Doyle]

30. Even Dr. Dean gets it wrong once a decade or so.

As governor of Vermont( a border state), he supported NAFTA, knowing there were serious flaws with it, but believing they would be fixed later. Apparently he believes the same about this process.

However, that theory only works when "Democrats" are actually DEMOCRATS. The ones who aren't have proven they have no interest whatsoever in doing what is right for the American people.

Sorry Howard.... you're wrong this time. You were right in your book - this should be a public option open to ALL and it should be done immediately. And this bill ain't even close. :evilfrown:

[stray cat]

32. Are we better off without the bill? If you have good health insurance through work - maybe

but not if you are self-employed, ill and being dropped from insurance, lose your job and lose insurability, work for a small company that doesn't offer insurance, have a pre-existing condition and can not get insurance or get charged huge amounts or if you get ill enough that you surpass your insurance cap and enter bankruptcy.

[FrenchieCat]

38. Perhaps you should look in the mirror and then say what you have posted here.....

because those who have no interest whatsoever in doing what is right for the American people, are those who are turning up their nose at what is considered wayyyyyy better than status quo, even if it ain't exactly what they wished (which they knew they weren't going to get since the inception of this healthcare fight).

[Sebastian Doyle]

41. Rewarding the corrupt criminal bastard insurance industry with millions of new customers

is NOT what is right for the American people. If you think it is, then your pom-poms are giving off some hazardous fumes.

[FrenchieCat]

43. Can you give me facts instead of name calling.......?

You aren't making your case,
you just lashing out stringing insults together.
Plus, this ain't about me nor you personally,
it's about much more than that.

[Sebastian Doyle]

51. The facts are obvious......

The neutered "public option" is useless, and hardly anybody will be able to "qualify" for it. Everyone else will be forced to buy insurance from the very same corporations which are responsible for us being #37 on the list for health care, just behind Costa Rica.

This is NOT what we were told a Public Option would be. This is NOT the Public Option that Dr. Dean wrote about in his book - a public entity which would be REAL competition to the criminal insurance corporations, forcing them to clean up their act, or go out of the health insurance business. Either of those outcomes being a win for the people, obviously.

And anything less than that - anything that allows the criminals to continue controlling the system - is simply NOT reform. :evilfrown:

[FrenchieCat]

52. I'm glad to hear your opinion......

but do not confuse your opinion as being the facts.

There is a lot of gray involved here,
except for those who see things only in Black and White.

Plus, we still don't truly have a bill,
and until then, what you say ain't what it is....
only what you think it is.

[kath]

111. +10!

[pnwmom]

78. Explain to the uninsurables who will benefit from this bill why they should have

to wait until the purists can be satisfied.

Dr. Dean says that both these bills are "very, very good bills." And since he's far more familiar with the details of them than I am, I was happy to hear that.

[eridani]

89. What makes you think uninsurables will benefit?

The fucking insurance companies can charge whatever they damned well please.

[pnwmom]

92. No, the bills say the insurance companies won't be able to set premiums

based on preexisting conditions -- only based on age.

[eridani]

93. Well, fuck you very much from those of us over 60 but not eligible for Medicare n/t

[pnwmom]

95. You don't get it. I'm in my 50's so I'm not far from that situation myself.

Under the current system, many people -- including children -- can't get insurance at ANY price. If the insurers were allowed to set premiums based on preexisting conditions, the premiums for those individuals would be many times higher than the highest premiums based simply on age.

[eridani]

96. They are still allowed to set the premiums

That is precisely the problem. The only way that mandated private insurance could possibly work is for the government to tell insurance companies what they must cover and how much they can charge. That is why insurance in the Netherlands is only 100 euros/month. NO age rating, NO copays, NO deductibles, NO denials for pre-existing conditions.

[slipslidingaway]

102. Age rating is anyone over 50 and they can charge 4 times the amount...

last I looked.

[GreenTea]

33. Our foot is in the door...

[mzmolly]

34. KNR

:hi:

[INdemo]

39. I disagree with Dr. Dean..I would rather see no healthcare reform at all than

some watered down bill that would actually give more to the insurance companies. Unless we have an antitrust law holding insurance companies accountable for rate increases we have nothing.One payer system is the only way we can have real reform..Now they have this public option which is nothing more than low income families buying insurance at premiums adjusted to income..Most states already have this program.So what have we gained?

[pnwmom]

79. You must not have a child who is uninsurable. Lucky you,

and kind of selfish.

[eridani]

90. Now you get insurance at the cost of nearly 100% of your discretionary income n/t

[pnwmom]

94. The plans don't allow insurers to charge premiums based on the kinds of

preexisting conditions that make people uninsurable.

[eridani]

97. Isn't that just special. Unfortunately, the plans DO allow them to charge anything they

--jolly well want to charge to anybody. They just raise the regular rates for everybody, and triple them for people of my age. Anyone who thinks age rating is OK can go fuck themselves.

[INdemo]

100. My point is we can do much better so

why did or why are the Democrats selling out to the insurance companies so we continue to be gouged with high premiums..Not much will change..
I dont understand what your comment has to do with having a very weak healtcare bill when we dont have to settle for a bill that is drafted by the insurance lobbyists

[Hekate]

42. Howard Dean's word is good too, in my book. Intelligence, common sense, & political savvy....

... come from his mouth.

This is a START. God willing it won't take another 40 years for the next phase, is all.

Hekate

[Kind of Blue]

45. Dr. Dean is correct and am glad he said it. n/t

KnR

[eridani]

98. He was correct a week ago. This week he's full of shit

A week ago he was in favor of opening Medicare to anyone who wanted to buy in. This week he seems to be fine with forcing people to buy garbage at gunpoint.

[kath]

113. yeah, what's up with that?

Who bought HIM off??

[Laelth]

47. He's being a good team player.

Understandable, but disappointing.

:dem:

-Laelth

[DireStrike]

69. Yeah, I think you are right.

But I don't think he would do this unless he thought the real fight was over and decided. Continued opposition would have little meaning... unless the bill turns out to be a colossal failure, in which case Dean could say he'd always been against it.

So Dean thinks that the bill will probably not be a huge negative with the populace. It will either be negligeable, or a little good, or a little bad.

[Laelth]

72. I hear you, and I hope you're right.

But my gut tells me the new law, if it passes, will be a colossal failure, and Democrats will get hammered in 2010 because of it. The individual mandate will not go over well. It might be worth it if we could get the Kucinich amendment too (allowing states an exemption from Federal law to pass single-payer, as California almost certainly would in 2011), but without that Amendment I fear the new law will do more harm than good.

:dem:

-Laelth

[On the Road]

84. As Far as the 2010 Election,

I don't believe most provisions of the bill are even going to be implemented by then.

I do agree about the individual mandate. Very few of the people in the neighborhood I work in have health insurance, and almost none of them can possibly pay the premiums. It's going to create an entire new class of lawbreaker, and possibly a backlash than anything they're counting on now. A lot will depend on how Obama handles that test.

[d_b]

76. ^^ this

He knows it's dog shit.

[pnwmom]

80. That's not Dr. Dean's MO. He's a forthright person, not known at all

for holding back on his opinion.

[kenny blankenship]

106. Unfortunately his team sucks.

[DireStrike]

122. Right you are, Ken.

...where is that list o mine.... check!

[jtrockville]

58. Dean seemed more interested in

maintaining a majority than in reforming our broken health care system. He said, more than once, that we needed to get something implemented before the 2010 elections. Not because people are dying, but because we need to keep our seats in Congress. It struck me as a very odd.

[Ardent15]

60. Both maintaining a majority and getting something effective passed are important

The question is, will we achieve both or either?

[slipslidingaway]

77. Noticed that as well :( n/t

[NNN0LHI]

99. It strikes me as odd that someone would find Dean's caring about keeping a Dem majority as odd

Actually that strikes me as very odd.

Makes me wonder who would not be interested in maintaining a Dem majority?

Very odd.

Don

[jtrockville]

117. If the topic were strategy, the comment would have been appropriate.

The topic was health care. I would expect the focus to be on the policies needed to fix our broken health care system, not the strategy for political gain.

[dionysus]

110. maybe it's because if we win the 2010 elections we can implement more policy than if we lose.

[jtrockville]

116. Doubtful. Particularly if we elect more dems like Baucus.

[dionysus]

118. there's the paradox... people like that asshat get elected because they're in red states.

for instance, run russ feingold in a red state as a dem and he'll lose.

run a republican like olympia snowe in a red state she'd lose too.

[jtrockville]

120. Yes, a paradox: asshat or conservative.

I'm honestly not sure which I'd prefer. If there were conservatives in congress who were committed to doing what's best for the country vs playing political games, we might be better off than we are with a congress full of asshats.

Of course all dems aren't asshats, but from what I've seen, I'm not in favor of promoting asshats just for the sake of having a majority. A majority that STILL can't get anything done.

[DireStrike]

123. I can't think of any conservative that actually loves the country

Rather than just hating the blue half of it with every fiber of their being.

[jtrockville]

126. Slim pickins for sure, but Chuck Hagel comes to mind.

[Diane R]

62. I trust Howard Dean. I had been depressed today, if he says the bills are okay I'll take his word.

[DireStrike]

67. First time I'm disagreeing with Dean.

If he said that, that is the end of the line for insurgency from the non-traditional party line. This is what we're gonna get.

This sucks.

[PopSixSquish]

71. I Swear My First Thought Regarding Dr. Dean's Interview was "Wonder How DU Will React?"

and then I thought "how long before he gets called a sell-out or corrupt or DLC?"

Dr. Dean understands the legislative process and I don't think he will stop pushing for more reforms once the final bill passes. The question is will you?

[FrenchieCat]

73. Thank goodness that is no longer my first thought.......

"how will DU react?".....
cause 1/2 of what I know I will read here is halfcocked, kneejerked, omitting full information,
stated by unnamed source or Prefessional contrarians with a following, based on speculations, and pessimistic as a MF!

[slipslidingaway]

75. I disagree, Dean said only 5-10 million will be in the public option, also ...

he has advocated for the 12 year data exclusivity amendment that is finally getting some attention.

Also when he spoke at the AHIP annual convention back in June he told the insurance reps that the public option would not be as bad as they think it will be...he was right.

Flame away.


See this thread...
Jane Hamsher: House Health Care Bill: A Death Sentence For My Fellow Breast Cancer Survivors

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=6884040&mesg_id=6884040

Howard Dean to Join McKenna Long and Aldridge LLP
Date:3/3/2009

http://www.bio-medicine.org/medicine-news-1/Howard-Dean-to-Join-McKenna-Long-and-Aldridge-LLP-38347-1/

"Chairman Emeritus of the DNC bolsters firm's national government affairs practice


WASHINGTON, March 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Governor Howard Dean -- a nationally recognized political figure, presidential candidate and six term Governor -- has agreed to serve as an independent consultant exclusive to the government affairs practice at McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP. Governor Dean will provide guidance to clients, particularly in the areas of healthcare and alternative energy resources..."


How Drug-Industry Lobbyists Got Their Way on Health Care
http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1931595-2,00.html

"...Among the biologics industry's most high-profile advocates has been former Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean, who is consulting for a law firm that has a deep roster of biologics clients. In July he wrote an Op-Ed in the Hill newspaper arguing for a "commonsense and fair approach" to give biologics companies at least 12 years of exclusivity. ("I wouldn't do this if I didn't believe it," Dean, a physician, said in an interview.) His former campaign manager Joe Trippi echoed Dean's views on a Huffington Post blog without disclosing that he had been paid by BIO to create two Web campaigns. (He also says his views predated his paycheck.)..."


Biotech firms lobby for say on healthcare
$66m effort to protect drug-patent exclusivity

http://www.boston.com/news/health/articles/2009/07/21/biotech_firms_lobby_hard_for_say_on_healthcare/?page=2

"...The quest for influence is not always obvious.

Howard Dean, the former Democratic Party chairman, wrote an opinion piece this month in The Hill, an influential Capitol Hill newspaper, arguing that fewer than 12 years of monopoly rights for biotech companies’ products “would prematurely rob innovators of their intellectual property and . . . destroy incentives to develop new cures.’’

Dean failed to note in his editorial that he is an adviser to McKenna, Long & Aldridge, a global law firm that is advising the Biotechnology Industry Organization, the influential trade group...

But Dean said his editorial was part of McKenna’s rapid-fire response to an unexpected, eleventh-hour Senate health committee proposal (which biotech firms ultimately fought off).

“It was a huge scramble, all hands on deck,’’ Dean said..."

[pnwmom]

82. You disagree with what? That he said today the words I quoted him as saying?

Whatever he said about older versions of the health care bills is irrelevant. What matters are the two health care bills from the House and the Senate that will be voted on -- and he said what he said -- they are "very, very good bills."

[slipslidingaway]

101. It appears the meaning of "real reform" has changed significantly...

Howard Dean: Real Health Reform ‘Rises And Falls On Whether The Public Is Allowed To Choose Medicare’

http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2009/02/24/dean-public-option/

If Barack Obama’s bill gets changed to exclude the public entities, it is not health insurance reform…it rises and falls on whether the public is allowed to choose Medicare if they’re under 65 or not. If they are allowed to choose Medicare as an option, this bill will be real health care reform. If they’re not, we will be back fighting about it for another 20 years before somebody tries again."


http://www.standwithdrdean.com/faq

What does “universally available” mean?

A universally available public option would be open to anyone regardless of gender, race, religion, income or employer.

What does “public option” mean?

A pubic option would allow anyone and everyone to choose a healthcare plan provided by the government like Medicare is today..."


And this data exclusivity amendment could come back to haunt in the next decade or so, but the biotech companies and their investors will be pleased.

:(

[kath]

115. Very interesting how much that definition has changed...

:-( :cry:

[slipslidingaway]

119. Yes it is :( n/t

[DireStrike]

124. Dean said that about biotech patents?

Oof. That one hurt me.

What does he think about the ability to extend/get a new patent by making a minor change to the drug? Does he note how that would destroy incentives to develop new cures?

[slipslidingaway]

128. Here is the article Dean wrote for The Hilll ...

also somebody has it wrong. Dean states that biologics should have a similar timeline and then argues for 12 years, the article in Time states that chemical based drugs only have a 5 year period for data exclusivity.

:shrug:

http://thehill.com/special-reports/the-economy-of-healthcare-july-2009/49677-legislation-on-innovative-drugs-is-key-to-health-reform

"...A commonsense and fair approach, similar to the process and timeline currently in place for generic versions of chemical-based medicines, would allow the original developer of the biologic to protect the proprietary data used to develop the medicine for at least 12 years. A shorter exclusivity period would prematurely rob biotech innovators of their intellectual property and destroy incentives to develop new cures..."


http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1931595-2,00.html

"...Waxman had pushed to shield biologics for no more than five years — the same amount of time that traditional pharmaceuticals get under the Hatch-Waxman law. President Obama proposed seven years as a compromise..."

[redqueen]

103. "this is pretty good stuff and it really will make a difference"

I agree with Dr. Dean. It's not what I'd love to have, but it's pretty good, and it will help.

[nightrain]

121. yeah, this is the same Dr Dean who was instrumental in getting "biologicals"

a 12 year reprieve from becoming generics... I'd sooner have Kucinich or Bernie Sanders who don't do these tricks on the side for income.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x6129724

[ampad]

127. I have to ask this

Is anyone else pissed that we had to practically beg for a mediocre bill? We waded through eight years of Bush and the nonsense of Republican rule. At the end of the day we are settling and for what? I am sick and tired of begging the people we voted into office for compromise. Bump that, we compromised for eight fucking year. Two unjust wars, our patriotism questioned time and time again, our rights compromised time and time again. I know and understand that president Obama wanted to get some type of bill pushed through. Something that we could tweak and make better further down the line. However, there are many people who cannot afford to wait for the "teak". I am sick of begging


OP, no this not the bill that I would like to see. I have tricare prime. I want each and every American to have tricare. It is just sad that so many people have to wait years for the government healthcare that I have. I have this healthcare because my husband served his country. It does not matter how you serve your country. If you paid taxes you have served. People need to be treated equally. I support the president, however, I think this type of compromise is bullshit. Everyone deserves tricare. It is not fair that we have to beg for a decent bill. It just is not fair. I will take what we get because I know had Palin won we would not get a damn thing. I just think we can do better than this.