So what is the cancer industry worth? A study funded by the Lance Armstrong Foundation, estimated that the global cancer industry is worth $305 billion in 2009, with an estimated 12.9 million new cases of cancer. That's equivalent to all the exports of Russia in 2009. It is estimated that the industry could be worth $638 billion by 2030.

There is a collusion that centers around the lobbying industry. Lobbying is the process by which representatives of corporations approach the policy makers in Washington to enact or change legislation to benefit their corporate profits. In return the government policy makers receive various forms of payments – either  legal donations , promises of future benefits or illegal bribes (as has been shown by previous congressional scandals).

Former corporate health care executives, are often hired by the U.S. government as health care advisors to create national health care policies and after a few years they are rehired back by the same corporations to only repeat the cycle years later. Liz Fowler, of the Wellpoint health care corporation, is one such person that has rotated through two cycles, and each time she helps to formulate national health care policies that are beneficial to Wellpoint profits.

There are currently 450 former government health care staff that are now working as lobbyists for private health care companies. The pharmaceutical industry spent $182.6 million on lobbying in 2009, using mostly former federal officials as lobbyists.  Is the U.S. Government working for the good of the people or for the corporations?

The sole reason why the pharmaceutical industry lobbies to the U.S. Government is to increase profits. Together with the government, they have prohibited  the importation of less costly drugs into the U.S. They have ensured that the Food and Drug Administration makes it easier to approve their new drugs with less due diligence. Lobbying also adds the drugs that these pharmaceutical manufactures produce to the list of approved drugs that are paid for by Medicare.  Medicare is the government program that provides health insurance to millions of Americans by paying for prescription drugs. To ensure that there is no pressure to lower drug prices, they also successfully lobbied to prevent Medicare from negotiating with companies for lower prices on the drugs.

Essentially, the drug companies have guaranteed a competition free, price protected, steady source of income for their drugs through Medicare.  A 2003 study by Boston University showed that 61% of Medicare spending on prescription drugs ends up as profit for drug companies. In 2009, the estimated Medicare spending on drugs is $51 billion of which $31 billion would go to the pharmaceutical companies.  Therefore spending $182.6 million on lobbying gives them a return on investment of 16,977% each year!

This is one of the most profitable industries on this planet and your U.S. Government is playing a big role in that money making machine. It gives me very little faith in the integrity of the cancer industry's role in healing cancer.