>My sort of crazy theory is that there is a behind the scenes lobbying / media battle between pharma, the hospital lobby, and the insurance lobby and that this

>My sort of crazy theory is that there is a behind the scenes lobbying / media battle between pharma, the hospital lobby, and the insurance lobby and that this dictates a lot of the national conversation around healthcare. Of course pharma, hospitals, and insurance are a major force on the right. But there's another culprit exerting force on the left that I rarely see discussed. The nurses' union (National Nurses United) is TREMENDOUSLY powerful. I've been personally involved in several political races where their political machine was a decisive factor in delivering turnout, possibly more than any other union. Another advantage is that it tends to fly way under the radar of most union critics -- no one wants to criticize nurses, of all people. This, without a doubt, causes a chilling effect on Democratic politicians' willingness to write legislation that will threaten hospitals.