Corporate Contributors Negatively Affecting US Health Care

[Kanary]

http://www.commondreams.org/news2004/0818-06.htm

Paybacks: How the White House and Congress Are Neglecting Our Health Care Because of Their Corporate Contributors


WASHINGTON - August 18 - Since 1999, health care related interests have contributed $162.3 million dollars to federal candidates and party committees. Seventy-four percent of that total went to Republicans. This is just one of the major findings in a new national report, PAYBACKS: How the White House and Congress Are Neglecting Our Health Care Because of Their Corporate Contributors. The study, released by Public Campaign, USAction, Campaign for America’s Future, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), and locally by WV Citizen Action (a USAction affiliate) and the WV People’s Election Reform Coalition (PERC-WV), presents four case studies illustrating how campaign contributors to the Bush administration and Congress are getting policy paybacks in the form of lax oversight, eased regulations, and blatant giveaways and how these paybacks are a detrimental to our public health.
The report focuses on health insurance companies and HMOs; prescription drug manufacturers; meat and food processing companies; and the tobacco industry. Each case study includes examples of how these industries get what they want out of Washington , from higher drug prices for prescription drugs to lax regulation of the meat processing industry. The report includes pullouts on the special interest connections of Bush fundraisers and administration officials; charts showing contributions to members of Congress and actions they have taken on behalf of contributors; and charts showing the correlation of campaign contributions with votes in Congress.

“Health-care costs are skyrocketing, as is the money given by HMOs, pharmaceutical and insurance interests to our elected officials,” said Jeff Blum, Executive Director of USAction. “This is no accident. Policies to achieve quality, affordable health care for all won’t get the fair hearing they deserve when candidates for office, including the presidency, rely on campaign contributions from health industry executives.”

According to the PAYBACKS report, health care related interests have severely shifted their support toward the GOP since 1992. That year, Democrats received 44% of health care related contributions, and Republicans received 56%, but since that time health care related contributions to Republicans has increased astronomically. For example, contributions from pharmaceutical manufacturers to Republicans increased nearly 600% from 1992-2002, while contributions to Democrats increased only 79%. Overall, pharmaceutical manufacturers have contributed $46,964,230 to members of Congress since 1999, with 23 and 77 percent going to Democrats and Republicans respectively. The result, according to the report is higher profits for the pharmaceutical industry, which is already the most profitable in the world, and expensive and unsafe prescription drugs for the American public.