Health Industry Lobbying Tops $1.4 Million Daily

[Shallah Kali]

http://undertheinfluence.nationaljournal.com/2009/06/health-industry-lobbying-tops-1.php

According to the report, entitled 'legislating under the influence,' political spending by the health industries has increased 73 percent since 2000. Health interests contributed $94 million to candidates in Congress during the 2008 election cycle, a $40 million jump from the 2000 election cycle figure.

The top recipients of health industry campaign contributions from 2000 to 2008 are new Democrat Sen. Arlen Specter, Pa., and Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., at $7.3 million and $6.3 million respectively. All of the campaign finance data used in the report came from the Center for Responsive Politics.

With the health industry's tremendous financial clout in Washington, Common Cause is concerned that chances for meaningful reform will be stymied. The report concludes that members of Congress face a disheartening conflict of interest: side with their large campaign donors or back reform measures that have support from the public, like the public plan option which would create a publicly-funded health insurance entity to compete with private insurers.

Click here for report.
http://www.commoncause.org/atf/cf/%7Bfb3c17e2-cdd1-4df6-92be-bd4429893665%7D/COMMONCAUSE_HEALTHCAREREPORT2009-1.PDF

[mdavies013]

1. I hope for the industry to get a taste of their own medicine...take the money and run...

[mdavies013]

2. On top of that...I would love to see some real time numbers on which reps are raking in the dough...

If not...signs should be posted that say...

ONLY $ XYZ to vote against the will of the people.

[silverweb]

3. This is where your healh insurance "premiums" go, people.

To filthy, filthy-rich CEOs and managers, and to lobbyists working against your right to health care.

[FiveGoodMen]

4. Yup!

[AlphaCentauri]

5. How many lives could be safe with that money

this is just insane

[Uncle Joe]

6. And just to be sure, not one penny of that money is actually going toward health care. n/t

[quidam56]

7. Profit Care comes way ahead of Patient Care in America.

I've seen what is called "quality" health care in Tennessee and Virginia. http://www.wisecountyissues.com/?p=62 We must have health care reform now.

[Seldona]

8. 1.4 million a DAY?

And they are on track to spend a billion dollars this year? Insanity. They aren't even trying to hide it anymore. We need to get the special interest money out of politics NOW. It's hardly a sexy issue, but it seems to lead right to the heart of just about every problem we have today. Not all, but one hell of a lot of them.

We are going to need some serious organization to battle interests this powerful. Best place to start that I have seen is Howard Dean. My wife and I signed his petition. We have written out reps. Now what? Scary.

It feels almost laughable now. A million and a half, minus some change, a day will buy you some access. I hope it doesn't turn out that way.

[Skittles]

9. can't imagine where they get all that money

:mad: