Political surprise: Pfizer CEO publicly agrees with Dr. Rost Senate testimony.

Bloomberg News today reported unusual news: A lack of health insurance affecting about 47 million Americans is "an outrage'' and must be fixed, Pfizer Inc.'s Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Kindler said.

Hmm, when I said this back in 2004 and 2005, before the Senate HELP committee, Pfizer went nuts, and now this is the gospel of the new CEO?

I'm flattered and befuddled. What a difference one CEO can make.

I have to admit that I'm impressed. But perhaps Pfizer's board knew what they were doing when they gave Kindler the corner office? That I was right, McKinnell was wrong, and Kindler knew what it would take?

"Inadequate insurance coverage, substandard data-sharing systems and insufficient measures to prevent disease are providing more common ground for U.S. politicians in the lead-up to next year's presidential election," Kindler said. He spoke at the Nikkei Global Management Forum in Tokyo.

"This problem has gotten so serious and the issues are so important,'' Kindler said, that "it might rise above politics for a change. Policymakers, led by the public in many cases, will come to the realization that our health care system in the U.S. simply has to be fixed. It's a serious crisis.''

OK, seriously, now I have to take a deep breath. Is this the CEO of Pfizer saying this? Soon we'll hear that Kindler intends to rehire me. That would be cool.

The 47 million people who lack insurance is commonly seen as "a matter of great urgency that we have to address,'' he said.

Hear. Hear.

Comments

[Samuel Clemmons]

While I too am pleased to see the sudden about-face of Pfizer management on the issue of actually caring about humanity, I can't help but question the motive. Pfizer was in much better financial circumstances in 2004 with fewer drugs nearing, or having passed, patent life-- and fewer drugs having to be pulled from the market. Pfizer was in a better position at the time for thumbing its nose to the world. But now with all of the crumbling at Pfizer, combined with cutbacks in govt. healthcare spending in every state and a realization that poor people without health insurance can't buy even life sustaining medications, much less "quality of life" medications . . . if people don't all get insurance there won't be enough money available for drug companies to thrive anymore, now that they've picked most of the bones dry. Perhaps this is the reason for the sudden 180 degree juxtaposition . . . And, maybe it's not; but when you're dealing with Kindler or Pfizer, you certainly have to wonder with great skepticism

[Samuel Clemmons]

While I too am pleased to see the sudden about-face of Pfizer management on the issue of actually caring about humanity, I can't help but question the motive. Pfizer was in much better financial circumstances in 2004 with fewer drugs nearing, or having passed, patent life-- and fewer drugs having to be pulled from the market. Pfizer was in a better position at the time for thumbing its nose to the world. But now with all of the crumbling at Pfizer, combined with cutbacks in govt. healthcare spending in every state and a realization that poor people without health insurance can't buy even life sustaining medications, much less "quality of life" medications . . . if people don't all get insurance there won't be enough money available for drug companies to thrive anymore, now that they've picked most of the bones dry. Perhaps this is the reason for the sudden 180 degree juxtaposition . . . And, maybe it's not; but when you're dealing with Kindler or Pfizer, you certainly have to wonder with great skepticism