Wednesday, July 22, 2009

In case you were wondering,

The answer is:


No, there's absolutely nothing these fuckwads won't stoop to:


Firm Crunching Numbers for GOP Is Owned by Health Insurer


The political battle over health-care reform is waged largely with numbers, and few number-crunchers have shaped the debate as much as the Lewin Group, a consulting firm whose research has been widely cited by opponents of a public insurance option.

To Rep. Eric Cantor of Virginia, the House Republican whip, it is "the nonpartisan Lewin Group." To Republicans on the House Ways and Means Committee, it is an "independent research firm." To Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah, the second-ranking Republican on the pivotal Finance Committee, it is "well known as one of the most nonpartisan groups in the country."

Generally left unsaid amid all the citations is that the Lewin Group is wholly owned by UnitedHealth Group, one of the nation's largest insurers.

More specifically, the Lewin Group is part of Ingenix, a UnitedHealth subsidiary that was accused by the New York attorney general and the American Medical Association, a physician's group, of helping insurers shift medical expenses to consumers by distributing skewed data. Ingenix supplied its parent company and other insurers with data that allegedly understated the "usual and customary" doctor fees that insurers use to determine how much they will reimburse consumers for out-of-network care. More...

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Can we simply stipulate


who's not for debate on healthcare - but with this lot?

AlabamaRichard ShelbyRepublicanMethodistAlabama Senate; U.S. House (AL-7)Alabama (BA, JD)19871934
2AlabamaJeff SessionsRepublicanMethodistState Attorney GeneralHuntingdon College, University of Alabama19971946
3AlaskaLisa MurkowskiRepublicanRoman CatholicAlaska House of RepresentativesGeorgetown, Willamette20021957
3ArizonaJohn McCainRepublicanBaptist[1]Military, U.S. HouseU.S. Naval Academy[2]19871936
1ArizonaJon KylRepublicanPresbyterianAttorney, U.S. HouseArizona (BA, JD)19951942
3FloridaMel MartinezRepublicanRoman CatholicU.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban DevelopmentFlorida State (BA, JD)20051946
2GeorgiaSaxby ChamblissRepublicanEpiscopalianU.S. HouseGeorgia, Tennessee20031943
3GeorgiaJohnny IsaksonRepublicanMethodistU.S. House (GA-6)Georgia20051944
3IdahoMike CrapoRepublicanLDSIdaho State Senate, U.S. House (ID-2)Brigham Young, Harvard Law19991951
2IdahoJim RischRepublicanRoman CatholicState Senate Majority Leader, Governor of Idaho,Lieutenant Governor of IdahoIdaho20091943
1IndianaRichard LugarRepublicanMethodistMayor of IndianapolisDenison, Oxford19771932
3IowaChuck GrassleyRepublicanBaptistIowa House of Representatives, U.S. House (IA-3)Northern Iowa (BA, MA)19811933
3KansasSam BrownbackRepublicanRoman CatholicU.S. House (KS-2)Kansas State, Kansas19961956
2KansasPat RobertsRepublicanMethodistU.S. House (KS-1)Kansas State19971936
2KentuckyMitch McConnellRepublicanBaptistJefferson County ExecutiveLouisville, Kentucky19851942
3KentuckyJim BunningRepublicanRoman CatholicMLB Baseball player, Fort Thomas City Council, Kentucky State Senate, U.S. House (KY-4)Xavier19991931
3LouisianaDavid VitterRepublicanRoman CatholicU.S. House (LA-1)Harvard, Oxford, Tulane20051961
1MaineOlympia SnoweRepublicanEastern OrthodoxMaine House of Representatives;Maine Senate; U.S. House (ME-2), First Lady of MaineMaine19951947
2MaineSusan CollinsRepublicanRoman CatholicDeputy State TreasurerSt. Lawrence19971952
2MississippiThad CochranRepublicanBaptistU.S. House (MS-4)Mississippi (BA, JD)19791937
1MississippiRoger WickerRepublicanSouthern BaptistU.S. House (MS-1)Mississippi (BA, JD)20071951
3MissouriKit BondRepublicanPresbyterianState Auditor, GovernorPrinceton, Virginia19871939
2NebraskaMike JohannsRepublicanRoman CatholicMayor of Lincoln, Governor of Nebraska, US Secretary of AgricultureSt. Mary's University, Creighton University20091950
1NevadaJohn EnsignRepublicanInternational Church of the Foursquare GospelU.S. House (NV-1)UNLV, Oregon State, Colorado20011958
3New HampshireJudd GreggRepublicanCongregationalistGovernor, U.S. House (NH-2)Columbia, Boston University19931947
3North CarolinaRichard BurrRepublicanMethodistU.S. House (NC-5)Wake Forest20051955
3OhioGeorge VoinovichRepublicanRoman CatholicMayor of Cleveland; GovernorOhio, Ohio State19991936
2OklahomaJim InhofeRepublicanPresbyterianOklahoma House of Rep; Oklahoma Senate; Mayor ofTulsa; U.S. House (OK-1)Tulsa19951934
3OklahomaTom CoburnRepublicanBaptistPhysician, U.S. House (OK-2)Oklahoma State, Oklahoma20051948
2South CarolinaLindsey GrahamRepublicanSouthern BaptistU.S. House (SC-3)South Carolina (BA, JD)20031955
3South CarolinaJim DeMintRepublicanPresbyterianU.S. House (SC-4)Tennessee, Clemson University20051951
3South DakotaJohn ThuneRepublicanEvangelical ChristianU.S. House (SD-At Large)Biola, South Dakota20051961
2TennesseeLamar AlexanderRepublicanPresbyterianGovernor; U.S. Secretary of EducationVanderbilt, New York University20031940
1TennesseeBob CorkerRepublicanPresbyterianMayor of ChattanoogaTennessee20071952
1TexasKay Bailey HutchisonRepublicanEpiscopalianState TreasurerTexas (BA, JD)19931943
2TexasJohn CornynRepublicanChurch of ChristState Attorney GeneralTrinity University, St. Mary's University,Virginia20031952
1UtahOrrin HatchRepublicanLDSattorneyBrigham Young, Pittsburgh19771934
3UtahRobert Foster BennettRepublicanLDSbusinessmanUtah19931933
2WyomingMike EnziRepublicanPresbyterianMayor of Gillette; Wyoming House of Representatives; State SenateGeorge Washington, Denver19971944
1WyomingJohn BarrassoRepublicanPresbyterianState SenateGeorgetown (BS, MD)20071952

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