$1.4 million per day to derail health-care reform

 


Why isn't Congress listening to Americans on health-care reform? This is why.

Health care interests have spent $1.4 million per day this year lobbying Congress, according to Common Cause. Just imagine if that money were spent on health care for the uninsured instead.

Common Cause also reports:

• Health industries — including health insurance, pharmaceuticals and health products, hospitals and HMOs, and health professionals — have contributed over $372 million in campaign contributions to members of Congress since 2000.


• Political spending by the health industries has increased 73 percent since 2000. Health interests contributed about $94 million to candidates for Congress in the 2008 election cycle, up from about $54 million in the 2000 cycle.


• Members serving on committees and subcommittees with jurisdiction over health care reform in the House and Senate received the lion's share of health industries' largesse. Committee members raised $178 million from the industries this decade — roughly half of the industries' contributions to the entire Congress.