Discover What Makes Senator Chuck Grassley Tick. It's as easy as 1 - 2 - 3!

A glossy, full-color advertising-type card graced our mailbox last week. Its headline chirps in touchy-feely font: "Thank You Senator Grassley." Loaded with professional photos of smiling senior citizens, it centers on a portrait photo of Senator Chuck GrassleySenator Chuck Grassley (R-IA). He looks pleased to be pictured there surrounded by the other seniors, beaming like a graduate's grandfather on graduation day. I become suspicious right away.

The card is a glowing endorsement of Grassley's concern for senior citizen's healthcare. Bemused, I recall how he told an elderly constituent this summer that if that man wanted health care equal to Grassley's he should "go work for the federal government."

"His response in Waukon wasn't very compassionate to that senior. I wonder who paid for this expensive printing and postage." Then, looking at the bottom I see it: some group named "Medicare Today."

Website #1: Medicare Today

The fine print on the bottom of the front page reads: "HLC launched the Medicare Today program in November 2004...."

"OK, who or what is HLC?" The plot thickens.

Website #2: Healthcare Leadership Council

In even tinier print than the first website, it says: "The Healthcare Leadership Council (HLC), a coalition of chief executives from all disciplines within American healthcare, is the exclusive forum for the nation's healthcare leaders to jointly develop policies, plans, and programs to achieve their vision of a 21st century system that makes affordable, high-quality care accessible to all Americans.

Members of HLC - hospitals, health plans, pharmaceutical companies, medical device manufacturers, biotech firms, health product distributors, pharmacies and academic health centers -..."

I ponder: "The CEO's representing the major forces of the current healthcare system's status quo? Why are they shelling out the bucks for this congratulatory postal spam?"

Now I'm more curious...

Website #3: Grassley's page on Open Secrets.org

Herein lies the real interesting data:

The Top Five Industry Contributors to Grassley's 2005-2010 Campaign Committee:

1) Health Professionals, 2) Insurance, 3) Pharmaceuticals/Health Products, 4) Lobbyists, 5) Hospitals/Nursing Homes.

Website #3 tells me that Grassley is getting a caboodle of money from the people who have the biggest stake in keeping health care system working just the way it's been working...for the people it is working the best for. And that's not Iowa's senior citizens, I'm here to tell you.

Anyway, that was a very nice thank you card that Medicare Today sent Grassley for their Healthcare Leadership CEO bosses--from the very same industries that fund his campaign! And if they carbon copied that card to our household, they likely sent it to all Grassley's senior aged constituents!

Grassley is, after all, an important Senator. As the ranking member on the Senate's Finance Committee he's a key player in health care reform. Or in blocking health care reform. He owes something to someone, I guess.

Now I wonder who he sends his thank you notes to.

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You can see both sides of the card in the video at the top of this post.