Aug 19 2009
"The prescription drug industry's lobbying arm is defending its deal with President Barack Obama in the wake of criticism from House Minority Leader John Boehner, who charged it with 'appeasing' the Obama administration," The Hill reports.
"When a bully asks for your lunch money, you may have no choice but to fork it over. But cutting a deal with the bully is a different story," Boehner, an Ohio Republican, wrote in a letter to PhRMA, the industry group.
"Emotions are riding high on both sides and we are not going to fan the flames," a PhRMA spokesman said. "At the end of the day, comprehensive healthcare reform is good for patients, the economy and the future of our country." The lobbying group is financing pro-reform advertisements alongside an unlikely coalition, Health Economy Now, that includes AARP, the Business Roundtable, Families USA, the Service Employees International Union, the American Medical Association and others (Crabtree, 8/18).
Related coverage by KHN: Boehner Blasts PhRMA On Deal With White House
 This article was reprinted from khn.org with permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news service, is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy research organization unaffiliated with Kaiser Permanente.
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