Senator Grassley and Grandma

It's a shame Senator Grassley didn't read my July posting on the Lewin Group study he is so fond of quoting ("Grassley's Talking Points").

He could have spared himself the embarrassment of having a senior citizen question the credibility of the Lewin Group in a recent town hall meeting in Adel, Iowa. He also could have avoided having the obvious conflict of interest highlighted on national television:



In fairness, it's possible that Senator Grassley wasn't aware of the fact that the Lewin Group is owned by UnitedHealth Group, a leading health insurance company. Maybe he never made it past the cover page of the study, since the first page clearly explains the connection to UnitedHealth. More likely, he was simply repeating "talking points" put out by opponents of health care reform, and never actually read the study.

In any case, at a time when opponents of health care reform such as Senator Grassley are trying to scare seniors with threats that the federal government will decide when to "...pull the plug on Grandma," there's something especially inspiring about an Iowa senior pointing out the obvious bias in the Lewin study.

At least one Grandma in Iowa isn't so easily frightened. Bless her heart; we could use more like her.