Pharma, Martha Coakley & The Special Election
5 CommentsBy Ed Silverman // January 19th, 2010 // 8:29 am
As Massachusetts voters head to the polls to today to elect the successor to Ted Kennedy, we thought it was interesting that so many healthcare companies - including drugmakers - have lobbyists who last week were hosts or co-hosts of a Washington, DC, fundraiser for Democrat Martha Coakley (here is the invite).
As you may have heard, she has run a miserable campaign and her defeat would hinder the Democrats, because the party would have less than 60 votes in the Senate, threatening health care reform. Here is the list, courtesy of The Examiner, of the lobbyists who work for various drugmakers, insurers and related companies:
Thomas Boggs, Patton Boggs: Bristol-Myers Squibb;
Chuck Brain, Capitol Hill Strategies: Amgen, BIO, Merck, PhRMA;
Susan Brophy, Glover Park Group: Blue Cross, Pfizer;
Steven Champlin, Duberstein Group: AHIP, Novartis, Sanofi-Aventis;
Licy Do Canto, Raben Group: Amgen;
Gerald Cassidy, Cassidy & Associates: U. Mass Memorial Health Care;
David Castagnetti, Mehlman, Vogel, Castagnetti: Abbott Labs, AHIP, Astra-Zenaca, General Electric, Humana, Merck, PhRMA;
Steven Elmendorf, Elmendorf Strategies: Medicines Company, PhRMA, United Health;
Shannon Finley, Capitol Counsel: Amgen, Astra-Zeneca, Blue Cross, GE, PhRMA, Sanofi-Aventis;
Heather Podesta, Heather Podesta & Partners: Cigna, Eli Lilly, HealthSouth;
Tony Podesta, Podesta Group: Amgen, GE, Merck, Novartis;
Robert Raben, Raben Group: Amgen, GE.
JaT
It is interesting considering that pharma might pull it’s support for HCR, on any given day, depending on what they think they will gain or lose. Is their patent protection no longer in question? Dorgan was voted down, but did Obama change his mind on reimportation again too?
While the unions won that juicy NO TAX deal for people who’s insurance was worked out during contract negotiations- those insurers are raising all kinds of costs (some things by way more than double) to the insured, without further negotiations. Doubt it is wise to elaborate- as much as I would like to.
Lizzy Borden
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Lisa Van Syckel
oookay….
Doc
Pharma - the penultimate short sighted industry, followed only by the autos.
pharmavet
The article is mistitled. It should be Martha “Chokely”.