Health Care Lobby Good to Blue Dog Dems

Washington Post: Industry Donates Generously to Influential Bloc on Health Car Reform

(Washingtonpost.com)  This story was written by Dan Eggen.

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On June 19, Rep. Mike Ross of Arkansas made clear that he and a group of other conservative Democrats known as the Blue Dogs were increasingly unhappy with the direction that health-care legislation was taking in the House.

"The committees' draft falls short," the former pharmacy owner said in a statement that day, citing, among other things, provisions that major health-care companies also strongly oppose.

Five days later, Ross was the guest of honor at a special "health-care industry reception," one of at least seven fundraisers for the Arkansas lawmaker held by health-care companies or their lobbyists this year, according to publicly available invitations.

The roiling debate about health-care reform has been a boon to the political fortunes of Ross and 51 other members of the Blue Dog Coalition, who have become key brokers in shaping legislation in the House. Objections from the group resulted in a compromise bill announced this week that includes higher payments for rural providers and softens a public insurance option that industry groups object to. The deal also would allow states to set up nonprofit cooperatives to offer coverage, a Republican-generated idea that insurers favor as an alternative to a public insurance option.

At the same time, the group has set a record pace for fundraising this year through its political action committee, surpassing other congressional leadership PACs in collecting more than $1.1 million through June. More than half the money came from the health-care, insurance and financial services industries, marking a notable surge in donations from those sectors compared with earlier years, according to an analysis by the Center for Public Integrity.

A look at career contribution patterns also shows that typical Blue Dogs receive significantly more money - about 25 percent - from the health-care and insurance sectors than other Democrats, putting them closer to Republicans in attracting industry support.

Most of the major corporations and trade groups in those sectors are regular contributors to the Blue Dog PAC. They include drugmakers such as Pfizer and Novartis; insurers such as WellPoint and Northwestern Mutual Life; and industry organizations such as America's Health Insurance Plans. The American Medical Association also has been one of the top contributors to individual Blue Dog members over the past 20 years.

Many liberal Democrats and advocates of health-care reform were angry about the compromise bill and view the Blue Dogs as being too cozy with drugmakers, hospitals and insurers, and they argue that the conservative Democrats should be more supportive of the agenda set by President Obama and Democratic leaders.

"The Blue Dogs are carrying water for the industry instead of their constituents," said Richard Kirsch, national campaign manager for Health Care for America Now, a liberal pro-reform group. "In effect, the Blue Dogs and the Republicans are taking positions that are closer all the time and further away from what most Americans want."

Aides to Ross and several other key Blue Dogs did not respond this week to requests for comment about their campaign contributions. But the lawmakers have said in recent interviews that they are striving to represent the moderate views of their constituents, and that leaving reform to more liberal lawmakers such as Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.) will imperil the party's future. Most of the Blue Dogs are from rural Southern and Midwestern districts that overwhelmingly voted for Republican Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) over Obama in the 2008 presidential election.

"I know there were some that thought we were trying to stop health-care reform," Ross said in an interview this week for The Washington Post's "Voices of Power" series. "Nothing could be further from the truth. We simply wanted to slow the process down and ensure that we were working toward the kind of health-care reform that the American people need and want."

Ross has received nearly $1 million in contributions from the health-care sector and insurance industry during his five terms in Congress, according to an analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks campaign contributions. The lawmaker founded Ross Pharmacy of Prescott, Ark., which he and his wife sold in 2007. The couple received $100,000 to $1 million in dividends last year from the sale, according to House financial disclosure forms.

Records of political fundraisers since 2008 compiled by the Sunlight Foundation, a Washington-based watchdog group, show a steady schedule of events for Ross sponsored by the health industry or lobbying firms that represent health-care companies. They include two "health-care lunches" at Capitol Hill restaurants in May 2008 and March 2009, as well as receptions sponsored by Patton Boggs and other major lobbying firms.

Overall, the typical Blue Dog has received $63,000 more in campaign contributions from the health-care sector than other House Democrats over the past two decades, according to the CRP analysis. The top three recipients were Rep. Earl Pomeroy (N.D.), with $1.5 million, and Tennessee Reps. Bart Gordon and John Tanner, both of whom collected over $1.2 million from the industry and its employees, according to the data.

David Donnelly, national campaigns director for the Public Campaign Action Fund, which favors public financing of political races, said the heavy industry contributions cast doubt on the Blue Dogs' motives.

"The public believes that campaign contributions shape or stop public policy," Donnelly said. "When we see significant fundraising to one segment of Congress, it raises serious questions about the campaign finance system and whether it works to the benefit of all Americans."

But Charles W. Stenholm, a former congressman from Texas who was part of the original Blue Dog group in the mid-1990s, disagrees. "The idea behind giving to a group like the Blue Dogs is that you believe that they will agree with your positions most of the time," said Stenholm, who now lobbies on behalf of agricultural companies and some health-care firms. "The same is true for liberals or anyone else. It's normal in politics."

Stenholm also argued that conservative Democrats are helping to save health-care reform from the extremes. "They have played a tremendously important role in keeping the process from getting out of control," he said. "This compromise is a perfect example of what being a Blue Dog is all about."

Staff writer Lois Romano contributed to this report.

[yurkiddinme]

EXCUSE MY RANT!!
politicians taking money from BIG INSURANCE,taking money from american voters,And voting against US! YOU, ME, MY KIDS,YOUR KIDS.

[yurkiddinme]

First it was nazis against jews,Now it's nazis against sick poor people!
how do they sleep, or face friends and family.
THIS KINDA STUFF WON'T JUST WASH OFF,NOR CAN THEY DRINK IT AWAY!

THAT'S RIGHT! YOU HEARD ME.

[BlandNancy]

Yes, this should be said to the 12+million illegal immigrants in this country, the businesses that hire them (illegally), and the countries they come from.

[BlandNancy]

"Washington Post: Industry Donates Generously to Influential Bloc on Health Car Reform."
So, does that mean one trades in a clunker for a "healthier" car?

[babooph]

I commented over 1 year ago that the dems would be given the job of selling out the voter in the healthcare scam-just as they did under Clinton@[HIS WAS REALLY WEAK FOR THE PUBLIC!]

[salmoc44]

Republicans voted 57-0 against an amendment yesterday to abolish the gov't run Medicare system. This shows that they don't believe in their own supposed principles. The Republicans had a chance to show that they didn't support gov't run healthcare and instead chose to support gov't run healthcare.

[salmoc44]

Don't let Republicans fool you. Republicans support gov't run healthcare. Rep. Anthony Weiner floated an amendment to abolish Medicare yesterday and Republicans voted against it. This can only mean that they support this gov't run form of healthcare. Socialists!

[incog-nito]

For all their purported dislike of Medicare, Republicans and their corporate masters--the health insurers--actually love it. What Medicare does is provide care for older, high risk people that the insurers would NEVER cover. With Medicare and other state-run programs around, the insurers get to cover younger, relatively healthier people. And it gives the Republicans another talking point ranting against "socialist" programs, while having no intention of doing anything about it.

[hennighg]

What a shock. Pampered politicians ruling over the country vote with the money. We should remember them -- dems and reps alike -- when the vote comes around to us.

Health care. For the rich.

[quidam56]

My father had good insurance and from all the fancy ads, billboards, television commercials and infomercials I thought he was in the best (hospital) health care system in East Tennessee. Boy was I duped. His care was called "horrifying" by the state of Tennessee, but said it was perfectly within the parameters of what they deem, defend and support as "the acceptable standards of care" in E. TN. He had a nurse playing doctor who was practicing medicine as a physician without a physician's license. The man was showing all the signs and symptoms of internal bleeding and was going into shock yet the nurses prognosis was Sundowners Syndrome. They finally had a nursing instructor who teaches at The University of Tennessee who said the reason my father was going into (shock, was sweating profusely, confused, no urine output, blood pressure dropping 55/35, heart rate increasing 255,blood sugar was topping out around 600), it could have been caused by the room temperature being set too high. It's on record in Greeneville, TN Federal Court. Case no 2:04-cv-375.
See what is called quality health care in TN and VA. http://www.wisecountyissues.com/?p=62 He rotted to death for ten long months, his legs were amputated. He was begging for a gun, looking back I should have granted him that wish.

[hungry1968-16]

Conservatives are synonymous with failure. It doesn't matter what side of the aisle they sit on - their policies hurt America just the same.

[sjc_1]

Southern Blue Dogs are really Republicans in disguise. They have their hand out every chance that they get and holding out for a better deal for themselves has always been their way.

[bobnjersey]

["I know there were some that thought we were trying to stop health-care reform," Ross said in an interview this week for The Washington Post's "Voices of Power" series. "Nothing could be further from the truth. We simply wanted to slow the process down and ensure that we were working toward the kind of health-care reform that the American people need and want." ]

nice try. you're not representing what 'the people' want because you wouldn't know what they want ... since you're too busy speaking w/ the lobbyists for the industry.

the one thing insurance co's don't want is a competitor in the business of providing health coverage that can do it more efficiently than the private sector can ... and the current medicaire and medicaid efficiencies are far beyond those of private insurers.

if there's one thing that should be included it should be competition for the health ins. co's.

[jsd330]

Maybe the people in their districts don't want government health care. Congressmen/women and the Senators are voted for in their own distrcts and home states. The whole country doesn't vote for them. If the majority of people they represent don't want it then they are representing their wishes.
The government has never run anything efficiently there are always cost overruns and deficits no matter what program it. Medicare is in the red right now and most of the states can't afford to keep Medicade going. So where is your government effiency?

[jasperlily]

ALL the PIGS are at the trough

[noloyalisti]

I get so mad that these Congress Critters have superior government-run health care for them and their families.

Whatever they pass, they should also have to have that for themselves and their families.

[Jade_River]

Dah ... our quality of life is for sale and has been for some time.

[jjreding-2009]

Is there really any question that the health care proposals on the table stand to NOT be in the 'Blue Dogs' best interests? Democrats need to stand together to once for all come up with some kind of plan that ensures that ALL Americans get the same access to health care, regardless of location, sex, age, race, income or political preferences. It's a sad shame that this is the ONLY advanced country in the world who doesn't have a universal health care plan - and is it any surprise that it's also the ONLY country with astronomical and rapidly expanding health care costs (particularly pharmaceuticals)? Why is it that the exact same medications cost vastly less in every other country that ours?

It's time to STOP playing politics with our health and GET 'ER DONE!!!

[hologram5]

All lobbyists and those that take from them need to be shipped off on a sailboat without any canvas to sail with and no motor

[steeepe]

No surprise here. Special interests have bought and paid for almost all our congressmen. Until we get campaign finance reform that is upheld by the Supreme Court, we have a government of and for the corporations.

[incog-nito]

People should be very concerned about the health care debate. Scared, even.

The insurance industry is only interested in insuring relatively healthy, working people with their employment-based system. Interestingly enough, their idea of "free market" health care depends on the government stepping in to care for older and other "high risk" people that they have no interest in covering. And yet, paradoxically, these "free marketeers" also constantly deride Medicare and other state-run programs as expensive and "socialistic", and want to get rid of them. Of course it has to be expensive, because these are high-risk people, get it?

What if these "free marketeers" get their way and these social programs all go away. What then? Will they step in and provide coverage to older, retired people on a fixed, limited income with premiums that they can actually afford? Not a chance.

Yes, people should be very scared, and hope that the "free marketeers" don't win this debate.

[andylance1]

Former Congressman William Jefferson from New Orleans, caught with 90K cash in his freezer, is a poster child for term limits.

John Edwards, former candidate for president and millionaire malpractice trial lawyer, is another poster child for term limits.

How many corrupt politicians are in Washington? In the US there are 100 senators and 435 members of the House of Representatives. They are all poster children for term limits.