Labor Chief Slams Insurance Companies as “Death Panels”
EmailABC News’ David Chalian Reports: A top leader of the nation’s labor movement upped the anti-health insurance company rhetoric coming from much of the left in the current health care reform debate.”There was a lot of talk about death panels,” AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer (and the organization’s presumptive incoming president) Richard Trumka told us on ABC News’ “Top Line.” “Well there are death panels out there, they’re called the insurance companies,” he added.Mr. Trumka has been a leading Democratic voice warning President Obama and his administration not to accept a health care reform bill without a public government-run health insurance option as a part of it.He didn’t back down from that position today and appeared unimpressed with the idea of a delayed public option that only gets triggered if the private health insurance companies are unable to significantly bring down costs and expand coverage once health care reform legislation becomes law.”Well, Trigger was a great horse and I’m sure Dale and Roy really liked Trigger,” joked Trumka. He went on to express concern about when such a triggered public option would take effect. “How far down the road? And what do we say to those people?,” he asked. “Is it 10 years down the road? Is it 8 years down the road? What do we say to every American that declares bankruptcy every thirty seconds because of this?,” he added.The labor leader attempted to alter the terms of the health care debate we’ve seen play out across the country throughout August by keeping the focus on the current practices of health insurance companies in a less regulated marketplace. He cited an average of 32% of denied insurance claims from three of the largest health care providers in California over the last 7 years as an example.”We need the public option to force them to become more efficient, more innovative and to break that stranglehold that they have on healthcare in this country,” Trumka said of the insurance companies. Mr. Trumka also weighed in on immigration reform. The labor community has proven reluctant to join many of its Democratic brethren in Congress in support of comprehensive immigration reform legislation that was eventually rejected in 2007. “We have a panel out, it was headed by a former Secretary of Labor, that I think is a perfect thing. It makes sure that people are treated humanely, that employers can’t exploit people that come into this country and it’ll solve the problem. It takes care of my members but more importantly, it takes care of the problems for the country itself,” said Trumka.
Watch the entire interview with Richard Trumka HERE:
We also chatted with Politico’s Jonathan Martin about what is behind the strategy shift at the White House and who makes up President Obama’s target audience for his big speech next week.
Check out the entire interview with Politico’s Jonathan Martin HERE:
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The man has a point about the insurance companies being death panaels.
Posted by: jenny | September 3, 2009, 3:13 pm 3:13 pm
@karen:
Remember a time when we had workers in this country who COULDN’T go on strike? Good times, eh? Good times.
Posted by: T | September 3, 2009, 3:30 pm 3:30 pm
A public option will lead to universal health care, one option, one plan, no choice. As a nurse practitioner I know that among private plans if you do not like one plan you can opt to use another. Reform only what is broke, tort reform is needed, no prexisting conditions to preclude health insurance, high deductible catastrophic plans that also use personal money to pay for office visits and medicines if able. There is no free lunch!
Posted by: Downwithsocialism | September 3, 2009, 3:49 pm 3:49 pm
Now, Now, they are doing what’s best for the stockholders. It’s just business.
Posted by: rightbehind | September 3, 2009, 4:02 pm 4:02 pm
By all means, lets take PROFIT out of the Healthcare industry so everyone can “afford” it.
And just to show you all the liberals were right…We will replace that with the “obvious” advantage of efficiency & thriftiness of the government.
Not to mention all the people that work for health insurance companies now, 17% of the economy…how many thousands more will be unemployed so we can have clowns in the government run healthcare like “cash for clunkers”. Ah, its ok…its only a job!!!!
Hey, maybe Obama & Crew will throw us all a bone from time to time with a National Lottery. The winner will go on TV and spin the “Big Wheel” with Vanna White to see if they can win that long delayed tranplant or hip or knee….
Posted by: Mike_C | September 3, 2009, 4:27 pm 4:27 pm
Very harsh words by Mr. Trumka.
Posted by: Pierre | September 3, 2009, 6:01 pm 6:01 pm
He should know all about death panels. The unions have killed industry and now they’re out to destroy our government.
Posted by: mmonroeliveson | September 3, 2009, 9:36 pm 9:36 pm
The man is another lying grand stander.
A top leader of the nation’s labor movement upped the anti-health insurance company rhetoric coming from much of the left in the current health care reform debate.
If he believed that than why did he not take the initative in union contract negotiations to correct this.
Is Richard Trumka telling us that he was aware that the health insurance companies were death panels and he just did nothing for years and let people die while he was sitting on his lazy rear end? Is that what the union members paid their dues for? Mr. Trumka, what you did is criminal and you should be prosecuted. You do not qualify to represent the interests of anybody but yourself.
Mr. Trumka you are a true socialist who bleeds the system for personal benefit and contributes nothing.
Posted by: Hubert E | September 3, 2009, 10:22 pm 10:22 pm
“Well there are death panels out there, they’re called the insurance companies,”
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Well, it’s about time people are figuring it out. The only real live death panels exist in each and every health insurance company in America. Every time an insurance company drops an insured or refuses to insure due to a pre-existing condition, it make a “death panel” decision.
Why is it that this fact eludes the far-right and Republicans?
The answer: It doesn’t. They just don’t care about anything but money. They worship it….it is their God!
Posted by: ErnestNM | September 3, 2009, 10:44 pm 10:44 pm
I think we do need to overhaul our insurance system but Obama’s plan will not work and will bankrupt the US so we need to change the way he is thinking.
Posted by: Joe Griffith | September 4, 2009, 8:17 am 8:17 am
Today, September 04, 2009, 3 hours ago | Joe Griffith
I think we do need to overhaul our insurance system but Obama’s plan will not work and will bankrupt the US so we need to change the way he is thinking.
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Obama doesn’t have a specific plan yet. He purposefully did not specify a plan because of what happened with Clinton’s approach (who had a plan from the beginning). He was smart enough to wait to see what would pan out. He is now in a much better position to change the public opinion because of the following.
The lying, cheating, stealing far-right Republicans spread lie after lie after lie to derail this reform from the very beginning…in true form to their God (money).
However, in their lust for money (their God) and the power they once had, they were very careless in the extent of their lies and the way they were propagated. Their motives are now clearly seen for what they are by all.
The Republican platform and way of life is continually being seen by the Christian community as anti-Christ-ian. And that will cause the Christian base to continue to move away from them going forward.
Without the Christian base the Republicans cannot be elected. The Republican party will be out of power for at least 10 more years.
Posted by: ErnestNM | September 4, 2009, 12:07 pm 12:07 pm
Government option- Logan’s Run and Soylent Green, just part of The Matrix being put in place.
Posted by: Downwithsocialism | September 4, 2009, 12:25 pm 12:25 pm
I’ll bet my bottom dollar that the vast majority of Americans are not ‘Paranoid’. But, I’ll also bet my bottom dollar that the vast majority of Republicans are clinically defined ‘Paranoids’. They should know that health care reform will allow them to get the proper treatments for their condition.
On the other hand, maybe “Soylent Green” isn’t such a bad end result for a ‘Paranoid’ Republican!
Posted by: ErnestNM | September 4, 2009, 12:49 pm 12:49 pm
It is so important to have the right insurance for your needs. You really should do your research before you buy it!
Posted by: insurance | September 4, 2009, 3:21 pm 3:21 pm