Health Sector Has Donated Millions to Lawmakers

Health insurers and drug makers have showered members of the 111th Congress with millions in campaign contributions over the last four years, with a special focus on leaders who will play major roles in shaping health-care legislation, according to a study to be released tomorrow....

...The health-care sector has long ranked with financial services and energy interests as one of the most powerful political forces in Washington, and it spent nearly $1 billion on lobbying in the past two years alone. As momentum moves toward overhauling health care, major medical groups have stepped up their lobbying and campaign activities while shifting money and attention to newly empowered Democrats, according to federal records and industry experts. ...

...Consumer Watchdog, formerly known as the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, says the amount of money pouring into Congress from the health-care sector raises questions about the independence of lawmakers as they consider dramatic changes to the health-care system. The group conducted the study using Federal Election Commission data compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics, isolating the insurance and pharmaceutical categories from the broader health-care sector. ...

...Jerry Flanagan, Consumer Watchdog's health-care advocate, noted that Baucus was the top Democratic recipient of contributions from health insurers and drug makers over the past four years. Baucus has taken a leading role in the health-care reform debate, and he issued a "white paper" in November advocating the kind of mandatory-coverage approach favored by major insurance companies.

"The concern here is that money is buying influence and policy changes that help the industry but hurt the American people," Flanagan said. "They want a policy that requires Americans to buy their product." ...

...http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...030701748.html