(JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images)
Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont hosted a town hall recently to discuss the Medicare for All Act, during which he emphasized a conflict of interest around involving the private sector in healthcare.
“Right now, we have a healthcare system that is not designed to provide quality care to all people in a cost effective way,” Sanders said at the town hall. “Let us be frank, we have a healthcare system designed to make enormous profits for insurance companies and drug companies. And disease prevention is not very high on their lists.”
Sanders isn’t alone in his sentiment. A number of polls last year (see here, here, and here) indicate that a growing plurality of Americans support switching to a single-payer healthcare system, including a substantial majority of Democrats.
A single-payer system would change the current healthcare system by using taxes to expand Medicare coverage to all Americans, allowing anyone to access free care whenever they need it.
However, Congress may be slow to respond to the growing interest in the healthcare model found in Canada and across much of Western Europe. The influence-wielding of insurance and pharmaceutical companies appears to be a barrier preventing Congress from embracing single-payer.
A Center for Responsive Politics analysis found a correlation between congressional Democrats’ support for single-payer proposals and contributions received from the health insurance and pharmaceutical industries.
One-third of Senate Democrats have cosponsored the Medicare for All Act, which Sanders introduced in September. Democrats who haven’t cosponsored the bill received 146 percent more money on average from health insurance companies between 2011 and 2016 than those who have ($147,186 to $59,789) and 60 percent more from pharma ($252,369 to $157,768).
Total Contributions to Senate Democrats (Health Insurance and Pharmaceuticals)
| Recipient | State | Health Insurance and HMOs | Pharmaceutical and Health Products | Cosponsor S.1804 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dianne Feinstein | California | $26,100 | $216,350 | No |
| Patty Murray | Washington | $225,701 | $671,169 | No |
| Ron Wyden | Oregon | $371,794 | $560,972 | No |
| Dick Durbin | Illinois | $142,919 | $95,719 | No |
| Jack Reed | Rhode Island | $73,500 | $54,700 | No |
| Chuck Schumer | New York | $481,665 | $605,011 | No |
| Bill Nelson | Florida | $184,388 | $110,350 | No |
| Tom Carper | Delaware | $162,750 | $386,310 | No |
| Debbie Stabenow | Michigan | $205,450 | $188,550 | No |
| Maria Cantwell | Washington | $15,760 | $59,750 | No |
| Bob Menendez | New Jersey | $114,818 | $420,638 | No |
| Ben Cardin | Maryland | $124,600 | $126,580 | No |
| Sherrod Brown | Ohio | $114,770 | $183,393 | No |
| Bob Casey | Pennsylvania | $222,050 | $590,779 | No |
| Claire McCaskill | Missouri | $126,818 | $125,298 | No |
| Amy Klobuchar | Minnesota | $81,925 | $269,924 | No |
| Jon Tester | Montana | $162,560 | $200,600 | No |
| Mark Warner | Virginia | $418,000 | $235,000 | No |
| Michael Bennet | Colorado | $244,100 | $672,817 | No |
| Joe Manchin | West Virginia | $146,250 | $203,050 | No |
| Chris Coons | Delaware | $107,250 | $404,800 | No |
| Joe Donnelly | Indiana | $114,000 | $386,715 | No |
| Chris Murphy | Connecticut | $81,854 | $125,856 | No |
| Tim Kaine | Virginia | $141,100 | $183,950 | No |
| Heidi Heitkamp | North Dakota | $138,900 | $97,525 | No |
| Gary Peters | Michigan | $48,874 | $131,850 | No |
| Chris Van Hollen | Maryland | $51,180 | $129,750 | No |
| Tammy Duckworth | Illinois | $43,320 | $63,742 | No |
| Maggie Hassan | New Hampshire | $20,861 | $35,981 | No |
| Catherine Cortez Masto | Nevada | $22,333 | $33,930 | No |
| Senate Non-cosponsor Avg | $147,186 | $252,369 | No | |
| Patrick Leahy | Vermont | $26,250 | $127,776 | Yes |
| Sheldon Whitehouse | Rhode Island | $29,504 | $220,363 | Yes |
| Tom Udall | New Mexico | $51,257 | $59,316 | Yes |
| Jeanne Shaheen | New Hampshire | $96,563 | $105,204 | Yes |
| Jeff Merkley | Oregon | $69,087 | $47,658 | Yes |
| Kirsten Gillibrand | New York | $197,898 | $287,668 | Yes |
| Al Franken* | Minnesota | $59,543 | $150,461 | Yes |
| Richard Blumenthal | Connecticut | $64,015 | $209,025 | Yes |
| Brian Schatz | Hawaii | $80,401 | $43,751 | Yes |
| Tammy Baldwin | Wisconsin | $53,513 | $119,378 | Yes |
| Mazie Hirono | Hawaii | $25,850 | $48,750 | Yes |
| Martin Heinrich | New Mexico | $98,010 | $225,000 | Yes |
| Elizabeth Warren | Massachusetts | $35,352 | $165,313 | Yes |
| Ed Markey | Massachusetts | $32,007 | $354,150 | Yes |
| Cory Booker | New Jersey | $41,688 | $448,178 | Yes |
| Kamala Harris | California | $54,926 | $68,823 | Yes |
| Bernie Sanders | Vermont | $545 | $1,250 | Yes |
| Senate Cosponsor Avg | $59,789 | $157,768 | Yes |
In the House, the Expanded & Improved Medicare for All Act received a larger proportion of Democratic support, with almost two-thirds cosponsoring the bill. House Democrats who haven’t cosponsored the bill received 137 percent more money on average from health insurance companies during the 2016 cycle than those who have ($27,529 to $11,618) and 77 percent more from pharma ($44,190 to $25,022).
Total Contributions to House Democrats (Health Insurance and Pharmaceuticals)
| Recipient | District | Health Insurance and HMOS | Pharmaceuticals and Health Products | Cosponsor H.R.676 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steny H Hoyer | Maryland District 05 | $179,750 | $235,000 | No |
| Frank Pallone Jr. | New Jersey District 06 | $133,250 | $388,976 | No |
| Ami Bera | California District 07 | $112,867 | $108,900 | No |
| Kyrsten Sinema | Arizona District 09 | $100,968 | $95,991 | No |
| Ron Kind | Wisconsin District 03 | $97,500 | $201,085 | No |
| John B Larson | Connecticut District 01 | $85,000 | $65,500 | No |
| Kurt Schrader | Oregon District 05 | $83,250 | $140,928 | No |
| Ben R Lujan | New Mexico District 03 | $83,000 | $132,600 | No |
| Tony Cardenas | California District 29 | $72,750 | $152,702 | No |
| Richard E Neal | Massachusetts District 01 | $62,000 | $122,200 | No |
| Sander Levin | Michigan District 09 | $59,500 | $22,000 | No |
| Cheri Bustos | Illinois District 17 | $50,500 | $36,200 | No |
| Scott Peters | California District 52 | $48,874 | $185,350 | No |
| Terri A Sewell | Alabama District 07 | $42,500 | $38,000 | No |
| Nancy Pelosi | California District 12 | $42,495 | $57,420 | No |
| Debbie Wasserman Schultz | Florida District 23 | $40,100 | $37,325 | No |
| Jim Himes | Connecticut District 04 | $38,000 | $48,900 | No |
| Pete Aguilar | California District 31 | $37,950 | $34,900 | No |
| Sean Patrick Maloney | New York District 18 | $35,000 | $31,780 | No |
| Julia Brownley | California District 26 | $34,345 | $23,460 | No |
| Ann Mclane Kuster | New Hampshire District 02 | $32,700 | $41,938 | No |
| Joe Courtney | Connecticut District 02 | $32,000 | $39,900 | No |
| David Scott | Georgia District 13 | $32,000 | $5,000 | No |
| Juan Vargas | California District 51 | $31,500 | $19,750 | No |
| Derek Kilmer | Washington District 06 | $30,750 | $48,950 | No |
| Suzan DelBene | Washington District 01 | $30,000 | $46,486 | No |
| Dennis Heck | Washington District 10 | $29,500 | $18,600 | No |
| Kathleen Rice | New York District 04 | $28,000 | $24,600 | No |
| Joaquin Castro | Texas District 20 | $28,000 | $16,937 | No |
| House Non-cosponsor Avg | $27,529 | $44,190 | No | |
| Joe Kennedy III | Massachusetts District 04 | $27,285 | $184,944 | No |
| Don Norcross | New Jersey District 01 | $25,600 | $39,900 | No |
| Raul Ruiz | California District 36 | $22,785 | $69,362 | No |
| Cedric Richmond | Louisiana District 02 | $22,000 | $31,000 | No |
| Dan Kildee | Michigan District 05 | $21,800 | $3,500 | No |
| Susan A Davis | California District 53 | $21,000 | $9,700 | No |
| Jim Costa | California District 16 | $20,850 | $6,000 | No |
| Tim Walz | Minnesota District 01 | $20,500 | $9,775 | No |
| Elizabeth Esty | Connecticut District 05 | $19,250 | $29,496 | No |
| Henry Cuellar | Texas District 28 | $19,000 | $1,000 | No |
| Bill Pascrell Jr. | New Jersey District 09 | $16,400 | $57,900 | No |
| Seth Moulton | Massachusetts District 06 | $14,750 | $70,600 | No |
| Raja Krishnamoorthi | Illinois District 08 | $14,406 | $6,700 | No |
| Lois J Frankel | Florida District 21 | $13,255 | $25,313 | No |
| Rick Larsen | Washington District 02 | $12,250 | $16,000 | No |
| Lisa Blunt Rochester | Delaware District 01 | $12,000 | $5,700 | No |
| Michelle Lujan Grisham | New Mexico District 01 | $11,500 | $39,450 | No |
| Norma Torres | California District 35 | $10,000 | $22,500 | No |
| John K Delaney | Maryland District 06 | $10,000 | $21,500 | No |
| Gerry Connolly | Virginia District 11 | $9,000 | $26,500 | No |
| Betty McCollum | Minnesota District 04 | $8,650 | $4,750 | No |
| Brad Schneider | Illinois District 10 | $8,052 | $30,535 | No |
| Mike Quigley | Illinois District 05 | $7,500 | $9,000 | No |
| Bill Foster | Illinois District 11 | $7,250 | $32,450 | No |
| Val Demings | Florida District 10 | $7,100 | $6,853 | No |
| Colleen Hanabusa | Hawaii District 01 | $7,000 | $0 | No |
| Lloyd Doggett | Texas District 35 | $5,500 | $11,050 | No |
| Collin Peterson | Minnesota District 07 | $5,500 | $1,000 | No |
| Daniel Lipinski | Illinois District 03 | $5,000 | $3,000 | No |
| Bill Keating | Massachusetts District 09 | $3,500 | $39,500 | No |
| Stacey Plaskett | Virgin Islands District 00 | $3,500 | $11,500 | No |
| Dutch Ruppersberger | Maryland District 02 | $3,500 | $9,100 | No |
| Charlie Crist | Florida District 13 | $3,000 | $10,350 | No |
| Rosa L DeLauro | Connecticut District 03 | $2,500 | $18,900 | No |
| Stephen F Lynch | Massachusetts District 08 | $2,500 | $13,000 | No |
| Tom Suozzi | New York District 03 | $2,250 | $25,850 | No |
| Tom O'Halleran | Arizona District 01 | $1,535 | $2,360 | No |
| Josh Gottheimer | New Jersey District 05 | $1,505 | $22,565 | No |
| Stephanie Murphy | Florida District 07 | $1,050 | $140 | No |
| Carol Shea-Porter | New Hampshire District 01 | $938 | $11,384 | No |
| John Conyers Jr. | Michigan District 13 | $710 | $13,500 | No |
| Ruben Kihuen | Nevada District 04 | $574 | $8,378 | No |
| Salud Carbajal | California District 24 | $500 | $4,000 | No |
| Jacky Rosen | Nevada District 03 | $500 | $1,500 | No |
| Niki Tsongas | Massachusetts District 03 | $0 | $56,400 | No |
| Eddie Bernice Johnson | Texas District 30 | $0 | $1,500 | No |
| Beto O'Rourke | Texas District 16 | $0 | $0 | No |
| Donald McEachin | Virginia District 04 | $0 | $0 | No |
| Madeleine Z Bordallo | Guam District 00 | $0 | $0 | No |
| Joseph Crowley | New York District 14 | $89,500 | $159,200 | Yes |
| Mike Thompson | California District 05 | $80,850 | $77,050 | Yes |
| Linda Sanchez | California District 38 | $64,050 | $140,450 | Yes |
| Earl Blumenauer | Oregon District 03 | $63,400 | $12,500 | Yes |
| Doris O Matsui | California District 06 | $53,500 | $92,000 | Yes |
| Gene Green | Texas District 29 | $48,750 | $143,575 | Yes |
| James E Clyburn | South Carolina District 06 | $39,750 | $177,962 | Yes |
| Gwen Moore | Wisconsin District 04 | $37,000 | $21,000 | Yes |
| Robin Kelly | Illinois District 02 | $32,000 | $63,250 | Yes |
| Debbie Dingell | Michigan District 12 | $26,700 | $18,500 | Yes |
| Mark Pocan | Wisconsin District 02 | $24,250 | $13,509 | Yes |
| Katherine Clark | Massachusetts District 05 | $24,043 | $98,950 | Yes |
| Emanuel Cleaver | Missouri District 05 | $22,500 | $16,500 | Yes |
| Ed Perlmutter | Colorado District 07 | $22,050 | $10,600 | Yes |
| Maxine Waters | California District 43 | $21,000 | $1,000 | Yes |
| Sanford Bishop | Georgia District 02 | $20,500 | $8,500 | Yes |
| Anna Eshoo | California District 18 | $20,200 | $196,240 | Yes |
| Eric Swalwell | California District 15 | $19,985 | $84,375 | Yes |
| Adam Smith | Washington District 09 | $19,500 | $15,775 | Yes |
| Kathy Castor | Florida District 14 | $19,000 | $4,750 | Yes |
| Paul Tonko | New York District 20 | $18,000 | $36,105 | Yes |
| Ted Deutch | Florida District 22 | $18,000 | $12,760 | Yes |
| Joyce Beatty | Ohio District 03 | $17,860 | $33,000 | Yes |
| John Lewis | Georgia District 05 | $17,500 | $17,750 | Yes |
| Ruben Gallego | Arizona District 07 | $17,295 | $14,000 | Yes |
| Jared Polis | Colorado District 02 | $16,500 | $32,428 | Yes |
| Brendan Boyle | Pennsylvania District 13 | $15,675 | $42,000 | Yes |
| Ro Khanna | California District 17 | $15,602 | $29,800 | Yes |
| Diana DeGette | Colorado District 01 | $15,000 | $155,254 | Yes |
| G K Butterfield | North Carolina District 01 | $15,000 | $125,260 | Yes |
| William L Clay Jr. | Missouri District 01 | $14,500 | $21,000 | Yes |
| Brenda Lawrence | Michigan District 14 | $14,075 | $0 | Yes |
| Danny K Davis | Illinois District 07 | $14,000 | $40,326 | Yes |
| Brad Sherman | California District 30 | $13,100 | $11,600 | Yes |
| Mike Doyle | Pennsylvania District 14 | $13,000 | $15,000 | Yes |
| Dwight Evans | Pennsylvania District 02 | $12,600 | $13,000 | Yes |
| Gregory W Meeks | New York District 05 | $12,000 | $26,100 | Yes |
| Alan Lowenthal | California District 47 | $11,750 | $2,000 | Yes |
| Keith Ellison | Minnesota District 05 | $11,686 | $25,505 | Yes |
| House Cosponsor Avg | $11,618 | $25,022 | Yes | |
| Jim Cooper | Tennessee District 05 | $11,000 | $5,000 | Yes |
| Darren Soto | Florida District 09 | $11,000 | $3,000 | Yes |
| Robert A Brady | Pennsylvania District 01 | $10,700 | $0 | Yes |
| Ted Lieu | California District 33 | $10,500 | $48,450 | Yes |
| Carolyn B Maloney | New York District 12 | $10,500 | $300 | Yes |
| Lou Correa | California District 46 | $10,250 | $24,750 | Yes |
| Hank Johnson | Georgia District 04 | $10,000 | $11,500 | Yes |
| Peter Welch | Vermont District 01 | $9,514 | $38,504 | Yes |
| Jackie Speier | California District 14 | $9,200 | $73,400 | Yes |
| Rick Nolan | Minnesota District 08 | $8,646 | $4,091 | Yes |
| Alma Adams | North Carolina District 12 | $8,500 | $10,000 | Yes |
| Bobby L Rush | Illinois District 01 | $8,500 | $3,500 | Yes |
| Bobby Scott | Virginia District 03 | $8,500 | $0 | Yes |
| Peter DeFazio | Oregon District 04 | $8,019 | $107 | Yes |
| Michael E Capuano | Massachusetts District 07 | $8,000 | $34,000 | Yes |
| John A Yarmuth | Kentucky District 03 | $7,900 | $3,500 | Yes |
| James P McGovern | Massachusetts District 02 | $7,850 | $25,000 | Yes |
| Andre Carson | Indiana District 07 | $7,250 | $39,151 | Yes |
| Marc Veasey | Texas District 33 | $7,200 | $31,750 | Yes |
| Suzanne Bonamici | Oregon District 01 | $7,100 | $21,200 | Yes |
| Tulsi Gabbard | Hawaii District 02 | $6,550 | $4,045 | Yes |
| Don Beyer | Virginia District 08 | $6,500 | $30,050 | Yes |
| Yvette D Clarke | New York District 09 | $6,000 | $12,500 | Yes |
| Jerry McNerney | California District 09 | $6,000 | $8,500 | Yes |
| Jimmy Panetta | California District 20 | $6,000 | $2,750 | Yes |
| Frederica Wilson | Florida District 24 | $6,000 | $2,000 | Yes |
| Nydia M Velazquez | New York District 07 | $6,000 | $2,000 | Yes |
| David Loebsack | Iowa District 02 | $5,000 | $45,200 | Yes |
| Anthony Brown | Maryland District 04 | $5,000 | $15,950 | Yes |
| Brian M Higgins | New York District 26 | $5,000 | $1,000 | Yes |
| Luis V Gutierrez | Illinois District 04 | $5,000 | $500 | Yes |
| Chellie Pingree | Maine District 01 | $5,000 | $0 | Yes |
| Karen Bass | California District 37 | $4,823 | $3,500 | Yes |
| Marcia L Fudge | Ohio District 11 | $4,800 | $17,000 | Yes |
| John Garamendi | California District 03 | $4,800 | $3,750 | Yes |
| Bonnie Coleman | New Jersey District 12 | $4,700 | $44,175 | Yes |
| Jim Langevin | Rhode Island District 02 | $4,700 | $6,500 | Yes |
| Filemon Vela | Texas District 34 | $4,000 | $8,500 | Yes |
| Dina Titus | Nevada District 01 | $4,000 | $6,000 | Yes |
| Barbara Lee | California District 13 | $3,738 | $37,040 | Yes |
| Eliot L Engel | New York District 16 | $3,500 | $53,700 | Yes |
| Steve Cohen | Tennessee District 09 | $3,500 | $2,500 | Yes |
| Al Lawson | Florida District 05 | $3,500 | $0 | Yes |
| Louise M Slaughter | New York District 25 | $3,500 | $0 | Yes |
| Mark A Takano | California District 41 | $3,425 | $4,010 | Yes |
| Hakeem Jeffries | New York District 08 | $3,000 | $6,250 | Yes |
| Jerrold Nadler | New York District 10 | $3,000 | $2,700 | Yes |
| Jamie Raskin | Maryland District 08 | $2,503 | $11,107 | Yes |
| Bennie G Thompson | Mississippi District 02 | $2,500 | $26,000 | Yes |
| David Cicilline | Rhode Island District 01 | $2,350 | $7,000 | Yes |
| Jan Schakowsky | Illinois District 09 | $2,035 | $500 | Yes |
| Nita M Lowey | New York District 17 | $2,003 | $31,900 | Yes |
| Zoe Lofgren | California District 19 | $2,000 | $18,600 | Yes |
| Grace Meng | New York District 06 | $2,000 | $12,000 | Yes |
| Matt Cartwright | Pennsylvania District 17 | $2,000 | $10,000 | Yes |
| Lucille Roybal-Allard | California District 40 | $2,000 | $6,000 | Yes |
| Elijah E Cummings | Maryland District 07 | $2,000 | $3,500 | Yes |
| Grace Napolitano | California District 32 | $1,500 | $2,000 | Yes |
| Donald M Payne Jr. | New Jersey District 10 | $1,400 | $16,000 | Yes |
| Jared Huffman | California District 02 | $1,100 | $5,900 | Yes |
| John Sarbanes | Maryland District 03 | $1,050 | $3,255 | Yes |
| David Price | North Carolina District 04 | $1,000 | $24,250 | Yes |
| Albio Sires | New Jersey District 08 | $1,000 | $8,000 | Yes |
| Marcy Kaptur | Ohio District 09 | $1,000 | $2,750 | Yes |
| Vicente Gonzalez | Texas District 15 | $1,000 | $0 | Yes |
| Eleanor Holmes Norton | District of Columbia District 00 | $750 | $0 | Yes |
| Nanette Barragan | California District 44 | $413 | $14,372 | Yes |
| Alcee L Hastings | Florida District 20 | $300 | $2,000 | Yes |
| Mark Desaulnier | California District 11 | $130 | $500 | Yes |
| Judy Chu | California District 27 | $0 | $23,000 | Yes |
| Tim Ryan | Ohio District 13 | $0 | $4,500 | Yes |
| Pramila Jayapal | Washington District 07 | $0 | $3,834 | Yes |
| Sheila Jackson Lee | Texas District 18 | $0 | $3,500 | Yes |
| Adriano Espaillat | New York District 13 | $0 | $3,200 | Yes |
| Adam Schiff | California District 28 | $0 | $1,000 | Yes |
| Al Green | Texas District 09 | $0 | $1,000 | Yes |
| Pete Visclosky | Indiana District 01 | $0 | $1,000 | Yes |
| Raul M Grijalva | Arizona District 03 | $0 | $10 | Yes |
| Jose E Serrano | New York District 15 | $0 | $0 | Yes |
Unsurprisingly, party leaders received the most contributions from the health industry in both houses.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-Ny.) led his caucus in donations from health insurance companies and ranks third in donations from pharmaceutical companies between 2011 and 2016. Schumer has not committed to supporting the bill.
House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) received the most donations from health insurance companies and second most from pharma in his caucus between 2015 and 2016 and does not support single-payer.
Nevertheless, some Democrats have chosen to defy the interests of their large donors, such as Sen. Cory Booker (D-Nj.) and House Caucus Chair Joseph Crowley (D-Ny.). Booker and Crowley are respectively the sixth and ninth most well-funded by pharma in their caucus but have cosponsored single-payer proposals.
Both industries that stand to lose from a government-run healthcare system gave record contributions to Democrats in the 2016 cycle and continue to support Senate Democrats in 2018. Notably, Pfizer donated $15,000 to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee shortly after 16 senators simultaneously backed single-payer, signalling an effort to influence the party.
Meanwhile, health insurer Centene, which donated around $1 million last cycle, is currently the top corporate donor of Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.). McCaskill told Politico last fall that she is not ready to support single-payer, but is being challenged by a primary opponent who does.
Congressional Democrats’ ties to the health insurance and pharmaceutical industries have long been tight. Former Democratic House Speaker Dick Gephardt of Missouri owns the lobbying firm Gephardt Group, which has lobbied on behalf of such clients as UnitedHealth Group and Bayer, its highest-paying client last year.
Gephardt was asked by The Intercept for his thoughts on the prospect of a single-payer system.
“Not in my lifetime,” he replied.
Follow these links to see the influence and lobbying profiles of the health insurance and pharmaceutical industries.
The post Campaign funding from Health Insurance and Pharma blocks hopes for Single-Payer enthusiasts appeared first on OpenSecrets Blog.
