How do Health Care Lobby Dollars Match Influence in Congress?

This afternoon, Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus (D-MT: $1,892,999*) and House Ways and Means Committee Chair Charles Rangel (D-NY: $1,372,369) head to the White House for a potentially pivotal meeting with President Obama on health care reform. In an increasingly uphill battle these two key Democrat legislators have been struggling lately with the inevitable bottom line: How much is effective health care reform going to cost?

A better question might be: Who's really paying for and benefiting from reform? Taxpayers? Or health care industry lobbies?

Baucus recently slashed the price tag of health care reform to less than the $1 trillion with a variety of taxes and a handful of industry fees. On an issue that could define his career and his party, he's made many concessions to interested parties and seemingly committed himself to including everyone in this "strategic" and "fun" debate:

"I'm sick and tired of being the maintenance senator, the extender senator," he said in his spacious corner office on Capitol Hill. "Here, we're doing something. It's holistic, it's our health-care apparatus. We don't even have a system in America, really, and the idea is to get some structure, some meaning. You add it all together, and it's strategic. It's fun. A lot of senators want to participate in it, and groups do. They know that the train is leaving the station. There's a sense of inevitability here."

Numbers speak louder than words. From 2003 through the end of 2008, Senator Baucus received nearly $2 million in contributions from the health care and insurance industries. Only presidential candidates John McCain (R-AZ: $7,690,168), John Kerry (D-MA: 7,453,749), and party-switching Arlen Spector (D-PA: $2,214,653) have received more.

Meanwhile, Rep. Rangel's nearly $1.5 million places him right on the heels of the Senators. In the Congressman's fight against political odds for his plan to tax the wealthy, he's even accused the pharmaceutical industry of stealing:

"Everyone knows that people around the table are stealing, but they don't want to turn each other in if they're going to have to pay the full penalty," said Rep. Charles Rangel, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee.

Asked in an interview on MSNBC what he meant by stealing, the New York Democrat replied, "I mean stealing."

Asked if he were referring to drug companies, he said, "I'm talking about pharmaceuticals, in the sense that they're now coming forward saying that they want to be able to fill that vacuum that's there."

He added: "Everyone is now saying, `I want to do the right thing. Just do the right thing by me. Just be fair by me.' We're talking about people now saying that they don't have to charge as much for everything as they had in the past as long as there's an even playing field."

It's taking a while to do the right thing. The House has pushed back the unveiling of their version of the health care bill to Tuesday, and a number of reports from legislators signal that Congress won't make their deadline to pass a bill before the August deadline.

What's the hold up? Besides the sheer scale of this piece of legislation--the latest bill version weighed in at 615 pages--the complex web of lobbying efforts that follows those campaign contributions must be creating some snags. Paul Blumenthal recently mapped out Baucus's own network in the wake of questions raised about former staffers turned lobbyists by the Washington Post and NPR. (Blumenthal also helped visualize similar connections between the Republican and Democrat members of the Senate Finance Committee and health care industry lobbies.)

While there's still time, we need to hold the lens closer to those members who are most tightly tangled in these webs. This week, citizen journalists at the Huffington Post Health Care Investigative Unit will be mapping out connections between some of the most influential members of Congress and the funds that drive their campaigns. Meanwhile, reporters are in touch with congressional offices on a regular basis, keeping their latest stances on record.

A new partnership with the non-profit watchdog site LittleSis.org is making this possible. Self-described as "an involuntary Facebook for influential people," Little Sis has built a portal to investigate how connections and relationships drive the most powerful Americans. The profiles can be publicly updated, and HuffPost citizen journalists will compile results as the debate continues.

This is a make-or-break week for estimating the cost of health care reform. Rather than turn the camera to the lawmakers' estimates on a price tag, more people should be looking backstage.

That said, cost is a loaded term, one thrown around often by politicians. Going forward, a deeper discussion on value should take the stage. And include the plural: values.

If you're interested in contributing to the LittleSis profiles please click here. Spots are also still open on the Huffington Post Health Care Investigative Unit. Click here for information.

*The dollar amount listed after each Senator and Congressman refers to total donations from health care lobbyists during the period of Jan 2003-Dec 2008 according to MapLight and the Center for Responsive Politics.

 

Follow Adam Clark Estes on Twitter: www.twitter.com/adamclarkestes

Comments

[PhilipTaylor]

Senator Baucas is the Poster Boy for what is WRONG with AMERICA'S CONGRESS!

He and many of the BLUE DAWGS are completely bought by the Corporatists' ill-GOTTEN LOOT we MUST STOP these GREED MACHINES IN AMERICA before there is NO AMERICA!

BLUE DAWGS and REPUBLICANS SUPPORT THE CORPORATIST CREED of GREED in HEALTH CARE:

THE GREED CREED:

We the people of the Corporatist Party vow to MAKE you pay for your Health Care Insurance whether you get quality service or more like Cuba!

We Vow to keep the focus on Maximizing our Insurance Company Profits, our Big Pharma Profits, our For-Profit Hospital Profits, our Doctor's MRI Profits, and our Health Providers Profits so help us on the All Mighty Dollar!

We will buy every Politicians Vote with our ill-GOTTEN LOOT!

When you own everything like we do, of course, you own the Media and we will spread only OUR Pr0pag@nda.

We shall use you like the Herd that you are to us!

We Shall Raise your rates, deny you coverage and service, and if you get really sick we will drop you like a H0T Tamale if you hurt our Profits!
__________­__________­__________­__________­________

Signed,

Corportists for the GOOD of EL1TES around the World!

[hsr0601]

The runway premiums might explain why the middle class and housing market collapsed. Today the costs running out of control have led the people worrying about losing their job, coverage, and denial of care to save the stimulus money increasing the unemployment index.

[Brittanicus]

MEDICAL CARE SHOULD BE THE CHOICE OF EACH AMERICAN

The deciding factor in implementing health care for everybody-­-LEGALLY--­in America, is the Publics voice? Those who want to just follow the same old road, can do so with the profit taking commercial insurance. Those who would be satisfied with a government run health care program, can now start demanding it from the lawmakers. Those who see a Universal health care system, similar to most developed countries in Europe, should start informing every Representative and Senate politician starting today. Rationing in places like England, was caused by the major impact of uncontrolled immigration.

Most American working class can do--without-- high premiums, pre-existing condition clauses. deductibles, co-pays that is representative of the wealthy medical care insurers. Whatever pertains to your family, you should start ruffling the indifferent feathers of the people in Washington at 202-224-3121 Just like illegal immigration , we cannot afford anymore to subsidize the business that hire them or the millions of illegal families.

[lastpost]

We hold these truths to be self-evident. That all men (and women) are created equal.
(With the possible exception of unelected and unaccountable lobbyists. Hereafter described and empowered as “the super-equal”).

Bribery: Money or other incentives offered to illicit illegitimate (dishonest, illegal or immoral) acts.
Begets,
Corruption: Immoral and dishonest exploitation of power or position for personal aggrandisement or gain.

[Boyaca]

Its all so American. The weasels and crooks have taken over the government. They always had main street. Every man for himself. Winner take all. The American way. Get a grip citisens, you never had a chance, from the founding blue bloods to the Wall Street barons. You were screwed from birth.

[bigskydem]

Divide the Senate between $1M Tim Johnson (D-SD) and $9M John McCain (R-Ariz)
in contributions from health care for profit lobby
51 Senators paid $103,054,942 99 Senators paid $125,931,303
25 Democratic Senators paid $52,256,709
25 Republican Senators paid $48,241,137
1 Independent Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT) paid $2,557,096

The rest of the Senate between Senator Roland Burris (D-ILL) $1,000 to
Roger Wicker (R-Miss) $939,425
48 Senators paid $22,876,361
32 Democratic Senators paid $12,850,866
15 Republican Senators paid $9,916,009
1 Independent Senator Sanders (I-VT) paid $109,486

http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2009/06/diagnosis-reform.html

[Indedave]

Great reporting and best wishes for a greater career. Funny how willing to play ball big pharma and insurance are when they realize that a piece of a smaller pie is better than nothing at all, which, imho, is more than they deserve. Here is a link that you might find interesting as well.

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/key-republican-troubled-that-public-option-is-cheaper-has-clear-advantages.php?ref=fpb

[ntmessage]

There is a simple answer. Get every major lobby in a separate room and tell them all, the first one that cracks against the rest gets a lighter regulator for the first year. Yes regulator. It is amazing that we need all these regulators on wall street, many who dont do much, but there is at least an appearance of regulation. We have serious regulators for the environment. Yet when we look at the Health Care Industry any regulation there is, is few and far in between. Maybe with this situation they will start turning on each other.

[Jim Jaffe - Huffpost Blogger]

a fascinating political strategy of trying to get those elected in power to do what you deem the right thing by shaming them and calling them tools of evil entities -- like doctors and hospitals. has it ever worked?

as you correctly suggest, politicians have a tendency to help those they view as their friends. calling them the enemy and then asking them to do what you think is right is a provocative and interesting new strategy.

[jmpurser]

We can't AFFORD them as friends so what would you say our options are?

[CherokeeGirl]

they ARE the enemy, we calls em likes we sees em

[Mrtnz]

The big rub. Lobbyist represent Corporations, who clain the same rights as natural persons.
However corporations can't hold elective office, can't be sworn in as citizens any where, be arrested and they certainly can't vote. how did they obtain the right to pettion if they can't vote?

[IneptitudePrideB4Fall]

How much profit do some of the major health insurance companies make each year? Name some companies and their year's profit.

Also, I'd like to know yearly income for some of the CEOs of these major health insurers.

Ditto for Big Pharma and HMOs.

Inquiring minds would like to know.
.

.

[quidam56]

As a former health care giver, I am shocked and saddened to see what has become of health care in America. $ 1. 4 million is being spent per day in DC by the health care lobbyists so your elected representative is getting taken care of and has quality health care we pay for and can't afford ourselves for our families, I know what is deemed, defended and supported in Tennessee and Virginia as quality health care and clearly profit care comes ahead of patient care. http://www.wisecountyissues.com/?p=62 MRSA ( methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureas ) is infesting our communities because filthy, uncaring hospitals and emergency rooms are breeding them and spreading them into our schools, homes, restaurants. How many more Americans' will be diseased or die while 74 % of Americans' are begging for health care reform ? More people died in America last year from MRSA complications than AIDS. When MRSA and a flu bug start mixing, it won't be pretty and we are being infected by the very health care system we depend on and trust to keep us safe and healthy.

[mcmchugh99]

Since the Southern Republicans and Dixiecrats are so opposed to the public option, then let's put a provision in the bills that gives their states the power to opt out. Free choice for all here. Don't force the South to have public health care if it doesn't want it, but only those states that prefer it.

What could be fairer than that? And we've save money, too. If they want states right, then by all means let them have it.

[cqyates]

As a liberal Georgian I would have to object. Do you want to throw millions of Southern Dems under the bus to punish the Republicans. Horrible!

[Indedave]

See cqyates post below. For starters, my senators are Kyl and McCain. (Can you guess where this post might be headed?) Furthermore, the nitwits in the Arizona legislature would love to be able to deny me healthcare just to flick boogers at the president. If your proposal took effect I would rather emigrate to Scandinavia than have to endure more of the foolishness that passes for political leadership in this country.

[Realization]

If they choose to opt out, defense industry and military installations should be repositioned to states loyal to the Union. Note that the Georgia Senators want to build planes the Pentagon doesn't want. They don't mind industrial subsidies. They just want it for themselves and call it something else. And there should be high tariffs for foreign products assembled down there. Wouldn't be WTO illegal since it is internal.

(Just throwing this out as bait....)

[CherokeeGirl]

There's a woman in Arizona who is putting something on the AZ 2010 ballot to refuse a Public Option for Arizona (hint: the woman is a bi rt h er and I can't recall her name - Nancy Bartosi?). Anyways, I called my friends in AZ to tell them about her and they laughed, and said no problem to vote her out.

I think it should be a federal plan. How many times does Obama have to say it will be a CHOICE?