Mikaela says:
So a little tidbit on the radio got me to thinking about how little we're hearing about who's most in the pockets of the health care industry. We hear a lot about this congressperson or that congressperson being for or against the bill and a lot about Republicans want this versus Democrats want that, but how does that map to the money?
Bad news: I haven't found much that directly answers that question.
Good news: There is some info out there.
Good news & bad news: I've barely scratched the surface.
Here's a quick snapshot of what I could scrape together in a fairly short amount of time.
Source: http://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/top.php?showYear=2009&indexType=c
Top Industries Giving to Members of Congress, 2010 Cycle
| Industry | % Received | ||||
| Rank (of 50) | Industry | Total Contributions | Dems | Repubs | Top Individual Recipient |
| 2 | Health Professionals | $13,611,257 | 63% | 37% | Harry Reid (D-Nev) |
| 6 | Insurance | $8,405,172 | 58% | 42% | Charles E Schumer (D-NY) |
| 10 | Pharm/Health Prod | $5,434,796 | 61% | 39% | Richard Burr (R-NC) |
| 19 | Hospitals/Nurs Homes | $3,872,639 | 74% | 26% | Charles E Schumer (D-NY) |
| 37 | Health Services | $2,249,688 | 69% | 31% | Charles E Schumer (D-NY) |
| Industry | No. of Lobbyists |
| Health Professionals | 781 |
| Health Services/HMOs | 988 |
| Hospitals/Nursing Homes | 1,172 |
| Misc Health | 165 |
| Pharmaceuticals/Health Products | 1,659 |
Senate Finance Committee Members Receiving the Most Contributions from Top 25 Healthcare Industry Orgs. 2007-2009
| Recipient | From Clients | From Lobbyists | Overall Total |
| John McCain (R-Ariz.) | $427,530 | $473,400 | $900,930 |
| Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) | $276,050 | $237,722 | $513,772 |
| Max Baucus (D-Mont.) | $252,750 | $200,899 | $453,649 |
| Arlen Specter (D-Penn.) | $116,750 | $108,778 | $225,528 |
| Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) | $56,950 | $130,808 | $187,758 |
| Mark Udall (D-Colo.) | $76,025 | $79,150 | $155,175 |
| Mark Warner (D-Va.) | $46,650 | $84,450 | $131,100 |
| Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) | $47,200 | $83,420 | $130,620 |
| Mary Landrieu (D-La.) | $35,800 | $67,000 | $102,800 |
| Patty Murray (D-Wa.) | $32,800 | $59,500 | $92,300 |
| Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) | $22,500 | $55,950 | $78,450 |
| Susan Collins (R-Maine) | $28,300 | $40,916 | $69,216 |
Here's another great article that breaks down individual recipients. It also provides a link to download two awesome pivot tables in Excel here, one for the health insurance companies and one for big pharma: http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/patients/articles/?storyId=28527
Happy hunting!
