Yesterday, May 4th, the House of Representatives finally managed to pass their AHCA bill, an effort to repeal and dismantle the Affordable Care Act ushered in by the Obama administration. Out of curiosity, we decided to check OpenSecrets.org to see how many of the Representatives who voted yes for the bill received major campaign support from insurance companies in 2016. We are limiting our findings to the representatives who are up for reelection next year, and here’s more info on them and what you can do in preparation for that election. The results will not surprise you.
Rep. Paul Ryan
From: Wisconsin
Received: $657,649 from the insurance industry, as well as $489,574 from healthcare professionals and $395,274 from pharmaceutical companies, with Pfizer serving as Ryan’s #4 top donor with $63,255 (source)
Rep. Martha McSally
From: Arizona
Received: $127,396 from the insurance industry, with a top donation of $16,350 from Blue Cross/Blue Shield (source)
Rep. Jeff Denham
From: California
Received: $99,650 from the insurance industry, with Medical Protective owner Berkshire Hathaway serving as Denham’s #1 donor with $23,000 (source)
Rep. David Valadao
From: California
Received: $79,650 from the insurance industry, with Blue Cross/Blue Shield serving as Valadao’s #1 donor with $16,000 (source)
Rep. Steve Knight
From: California
Received: $62,300 from the insurance industry (source)
Rep. Ed Royce
From: California
Received: $280,350 from the insurance industry (source)
Rep. Mimi Walters
From: California
Received: $139,150 from the pharmaceutical industryand $75,350 from the insurance industry (source)
Rep. Dana Rohrabacher
From: California
Received: $21,047 from healthcare professionals (source)
Rep. Darrell Issa
From: California
Received: $47,825 from the pharmaceutical industry and $43,500 from the insurance industry as well as $39,100 from heathcare professionals (source)
Rep. Carlos Curbelo
From: Florida
Received: $152,850 from the insurance industry, with Leon Medical Centers serving as Curbelo’s #1 donor with $27,000 (source)
Rep. Rod Blum
From: Iowa
Received: $62,100 from the insurance industry (source)
Rep. David Young
From: Iowa
Received: $142,779 from the insurance industry, with supplemental Medicare plan provider Nationwide serving as the top donor with $18,900 and Berkshire Hathaway as the #3 donor with $16,200 (source)
Rep. Peter Roskam
From: Illinois
Received: $261,955 from insurance companies with Blue Cross/Blue Shield the #3 top donor with $19,500, as well as $165,623 from the healthcare professional industry and $122,905 from the pharmaceutical industry (source)
Rep. Rodney Davis
From: Illinois
Received: $127,896 from the insurance industry, with State Farm serving as Davis’ #2 donor with $15,725, as well as $96,175 from healthcare professionals (source)
Rep. Randy Hultgren
From: Illinois
Received: $145,750 from the insurance industry (source)
Rep. Kevin Yoder
From: Kansas
Received: $121,350 from the insurance industry (source)
Rep. Dave Trott
From: Michigan
Received: $30,850 from the insurance industry, with Blue Cross/Blue Shield serving as his #4 donor with $12,700, as well as $30,450 from healthcare professionals (source)
Rep. Jason Lewis
From: Minnesota
Received: $17,500 from the insurance industry (source)
Rep. Erik Paulsen
From: Minnesota
Received: $350,750 from the pharmaceutical industry, with Medtronic serving as Paulsen’s #4 top donor with $27,050, as well as $303,550 from the insurance industry, with UnitedHealth Group serving as Paulsen’s #3 top donor with $28,800, and $246,660 from healthcare professionals (source)
Rep. Don Bacon
From: Nebraska
Received: $32,065 from the insurance industry, with Mutual of Omaha serving as his #2 top donor at $11,500, and $24,325 from healthcare professionals (source)
Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen
From: New Jersey
Received: $108,100 from the pharmaceutical industry and $54,200 from healthcare professionals (source)
Rep. Pete Sessions
From: Texas
Received: $204,050 from healthcare professionals and $70,350 from the insurance industry (source)
Obviously this is by no means a comprehensive list of all the represenatives who were paid to make AHCA get through the House, we urge you to examine who donated to your representatives and vote accordingly in 2018.
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Nick Hanover got his degree from Disneyland, but he’s the last of the secret agents and he’s your man. Which is to say you can find his particular style of espionage here at Loser City as well as Ovrld, where he contributes music reviews and writes a column on undiscovered Austin bands. You can also flip through his archives at Comics Bulletin, which he is formerly the Co-Managing Editor of, and Spectrum Culture, where he contributed literally hundreds of pieces for a few years. Or if you feel particularly adventurous, you can always witness his odd .gif battles with friends and enemies on twitter: @Nick_Hanover
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