By: Terresa Monroe-Hamilton

Meet your new Health Reform Czar: Nancy-Ann DeParle…

DeParle served as the director of the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) from 1997 to 2000, administering the Medicare program for the Clinton administration, and before then worked at the Office of Management and Budget.

From Wikipedia:

Career

DeParle was a partner at the law firm of Bass, Berry & Sims in Nashville before serving as commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Human Services in the cabinet of Governor Ned McWherter from 1987 to 1989.

DeParle has also served as a trustee at the nonprofit Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a research fellow at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and a fellow at the Wharton School of Business. She has also been a Commissioner on the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC).

Corporate Connections

DeParle has drawn criticism for her lucrative service on corporate boards after her tenure in the Clinton administration. MSNBC.com reported that she was paid more than $6 million, and served as a director of half a dozen companies that faced federal investigations, whistleblower lawsuits and other regulatory actions. Many of these companies have a stake in the health care reform that she is leading.

She served as a director of Accredo Health Inc., Boston Scientific, Cerner Corp., DaVita, Guidant, Medco Health Solutions, Speciality Laboratories, and Triad Hospitals. She was a managing director of CCMP Capital.

Interesting how the companies she is associated with will benefit greatly from the current health care reform that Obama and Sebelius are pushing. Very interesting… I think I smell a well-funded rat.

From The Politico:

The disclosure statement filed by White House health czar Nancy-Ann DeParle, released this week, shows that from the start of last year until her appointment this March, she pulled in more than $2.3 million from her positions on the boards of six firms likely to be significantly affected by the health care reforms that she’s championing.

And in 2006 and 2007, DeParle earned at least $3.5 million from director’s fees and stock sales and awards from health care firms, according to a Chicago Tribune analysis of securities filings.

And…

In the days after her appointment, she stepped down from the corporate boards of Cerner, Medco Health Solutions, Boston Scientific, CareMore Health Plan and Legacy Hospital Partners, as well as from her post as managing director of a private equity firm that controlled some of those companies and a variety of other health care firms, according to the White House filing, which also shows that she resigned last July from the board of DaVita.

But that’s okay folks, she swore to adhere to Obama’s STRICT ethics policy… When you are done laughing, we’ll move right along – just get a hold of yourself and pick yourself up off the floor. I feel sooo much better after hearing that – I just know she would never fib about something like this. Yeah, right…

The Politico piece is very well written and is definitely worth a read… DeParle’s ties are far from cleanly severed and she could easily benefit from health care legislation – there is a LOT of money at stake and it appears she stands to benefit regardless of what she or Obama claim.

From WhoRunsGov.com:

As Obama’s health czar, DeParle is the administration’s “point guard” in overhauling the American health-care system. She works closely with her old friend, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on the administration’s biggest, and possibly toughest, legislative goal.

A veteran of the Bill Clinton health-reform wars, DeParle brings institutional memory to the job as well as an understanding of the arcane nooks of government-funded health insurance plans. She’s an expert on Medicare and Medicaid, and could help the Obama administration expand those programs while in pursuit of universal coverage.

Obviously, cronyism is in full bloom for the Obama administration… DeParle seems to be an expert at expanding government control and intrusion into American’s lives. DeParle and Sebelius along with Obama are driving forces behind the current health care reform. Reform that will forever alter our country and what we stand for.

DeParle is also sure to be salivating over the Internet Snitch Brigade and the database of enemy info. she will be building. From Michelle Malkin:

What will health care czar Nancy DeParle do with this information? Where will it be stored? Who has oversight of the czar’s powers, budget, and personnel? Concerned citizens, alas, will have a hard time tracking down the “Office of Health Care Reform” created by executive order in April. There is no central website for the office, no direct channel for transparency, and no congressional accountability.

This woman gives a whole new meaning to, ‘you are on my shit list.’ But I’m sure she’ll never use it… Right…

More from Michelle Malkin:

Last week, a Washington, D.C. citizen watchdog filed suit to force the White House to disclose which health care lobbyists and executives it had met with this year to discuss insurance takeover legislation. White House counsel Greg Craig refused to disclose which administration officials attended the meetings. But at least two of the industry visitors have ties to DeParle. William C. Weldon is chairman of Johnson & Johnson, which paid DeParle $7,500 for a recent speech. Wayne Smith is chief executive of Community Health Systems, which merged with Triad Hospitals – where DeParle served on the board of directors. DeParle’s options were converted to cash payments worth $1.05 million.

Despite Obama’s lip service to transparency, the public is in the dark about which assets DeParle has divested and how many times, if any, DeParle has recused herself from policy matters and meetings. Czardom has its privileges.

Can you spell CORRUPT? Well, I can and this woman definitely fits the bill… Shove health care reform down our throats in less time than it took Obama to pick a dog… Rationing, invasion of privacy, trillions in debt we have no way of paying, and on and on – DeParle is in it up to her neck, but since she is a Czar, she believes she is beyond the reach of American citizens and our laws. At least she hopes so…

For a simple listing of Obama’s Czars, go here…

For a detailed listing of Obama’s Czars, go here…

When you see a Czar’s name highlighted, there is an article attached. Just click and read… :)

UPDATE: Kim Priestap, Wizbang – This is How Government Competes with Private Health Care Companies

Warner Todd Houston, Stop The ACLU – Why Do EPA Employees Make More Than the Vice President?

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