How Cash Trumps Health Care

        President Obama's efforts to sell Congress on a meaningful healthcare reform measure rank right up there with the current crusade against the rising tide of obesity in America – or winning the decades-old War on Drugs
        The problem?
        Addicts don't want to give up whatever makes them feel good, be it special interest dollars, junk food, or drugs.
        And when it comes to hooking politicians on a steady flood of easy money, America's health care industry is a Humongous Pusher of lobbyist largess and campaign dollars.    
        In short, the fate of Obama's healthcare reform efforts is simple matter of millions of Americans forced to go without adequate healthcare versus billions of of dollars lavished on our elected officials by the nation's healthcare industry.
        So....
        Consider the odds. 
        By the startling numbers: 
        The nation's health care industry spent more than twice as much on Washington-based lobbyists and campaigns for the White House and Congress than BOTH the energy and defense industries during the past ten years.

….............................................Total Federal Influence Dollars
….................................................(Source:Opensecrets.org)
…...........................................................Big Health
…..............................................(Total 1998 through 2008)
….............................DC Lobbyists...........National Elections.............Total
….............................$3.444,000,000.......$647,000,000....................$4,087,000,000
…...........................................US Energy and Defense Industries
…...................................................(Total 1998 through 2008)
….............................DC Lobbyists...........National Elections.............Total
….............................$1.644,000,000.......$261,000,000....................$1,905,000,000

        Which suggests Obama's two daughters may be on Medicare before the nation adopts any meaningful national initiative to:
                One – Reduce the soaring cost of healthcare in the United States (currently among the 
                    most expensive in the world). 
                Two – Provide adequate levels of healthcare for EVERY American citizen (currently, nearly 50 
                    million adult Americans lack health insurance – while millions more are under-insured 
                    and thus one major illness away from bankruptcy).

US HEALTH INDUSTRY FEDERAL INFLUENCE DOLLARS
Ten Year Trend
Lobbying Expenditures......Campaign Expenditures......Total Political Spending
Drugs & Health Products
..Total....$1,553,519,433.......$136,412,810..........................$1,689,932,243
..2008....$234,067,158.......... $29,146,871............................$263,214,029
..2007....$224,299,034..........
..2006....$182,481,382.......... $19,476,645
..2005....$165,367,606..........
..2004....$141,145,078.......... $17,828,116
..2003....$126,070,535..........
..2002....$129,511,798.......... $29,651,261
..2001....$101,147,974..........
..2000....$92,911,942............ $27,087,280
..1999....$84,021,672............
..1998....$72,495,254............ $13,219,634..............................$85,714,888
Hospitals & Nursing Homes
..Total....$700,155,079.......... $85,371,930..............................$785,527,009
..2008....$101,059,188..........$22,970,801..............................$124,029,989
..2007....$96,959,977............
..2006....$87,280,676............ $14,079,053
..2005....$80,333,916............
..2004....$67,786,091............ $16,648,780
..2003....$63,156,942............
..2002....$52,572,451............ $11,966,070
..2001....$48,985,867............
..2000....$36,087,016............ $11,888,715
..1999....$36,749,547............
..1998....$29,183,408............ $7,818,511................................$37,001,919
Health Care Professionals
..Total....$636,208,998.......... $346,078,471............................$982,288,469
..2008....$82,199,419............ $95,807,750..............................$178,007,169
..2007....$71,430,216............
..2006....$64,823,768............ $54,542,524
..2005....$61,897,950............
..2004....$60,654,813............ $74,153,526
..2003....$57,249,218............
..2002....$46,480,759............ $42,413,199
..2001....$49,321,714............
..2000....$48,289,757............ $47,701,522
..1999....$47,825,882............
..1998....$46,035,502............ $31,459,950..............................$77,495,452
 HMO's & Health Services
...Total...$347,118,135..........$56,818,187...........................$399,936,322
..2008....$61,196,507............ $14,088,299...........................$75,284.806
..2007....$50,124,822............
..2006....$39,244,030............ $8,253,480
..2005....$35,412,630............
..2004....$31,390,623............ $8,126,475
..2003....$26,777,506............
..2002....$27,408,865............ $8,207,470
..2001....$20,609,908............
..2000....$19,353,456............ $8,512,894
..1999....$17,736,313............
..1998....$17,863,469............ $5,629,569..............................$23,493,038
 Medical Supplies
..Total...$203,685,776...........$21,711,470............................$225,397,246
..2008....$29,174,463............ $6,526,507..............................$35,700,970
..2007....$26,915,761............
..2006....$25,634,523............ $3,734,008
..2005....$23,713,467............
..2004....$20,806,234............ $3,281,706
..2003....$18,241,864............
..2002....$15,105,733............ $3,362,949
..2001....$12,285,906............
..2000....$13,008,825............ $2,730,794
..1999....$10,015,000............
..1998....$8,784,000............ $2,075,506.............................$10,859,506

 TOTAL US HEALTH CARE INDUSTRY
 Lobbying Expenditures.....Campaign Expenditures....Total Political Spending
..Total....$3,440,707,429.......$646,392,866..........................$4,087,100,295
..2008.....$507,716,735.............$138,541,228.............................$646,257,963
..1998.....$174,361,633.............$59,903,170.......................... ....$234,264,803

.SELECTED US INDUSTRY FEDERAL INFLUENCE DOLLARS
Ten Year Trends
US DEFENSE INDUSTRY
Lobbying Expenditures......Campaign Expenditures.....Total Political Spending
.Total....$902,630,206...........$99,321,939............................$1,001,952,149
..2008....$131,519,923...........$23,648,163............................$155,168,086
..2007....$111,909,336
..2006....$109,383,909...........$17,465,573.
..2005....$92,891,622
..2004....$82,674,217.............$18,093,629
..2003....$69,317,571
..2002....$67,847,487.............$15,553,335
..2001....$65,837,176
..2000....$62,931,815............$14,590,007
..1999....$53,158,485
..1998....$55,158,485............$9,971,232..............................$65,129,717

 US SECURITIES AND INVESTMENT
Lobbying Expenditures........Campaign Expenditures Total Political Spending
..Total....$607,111,765.............$521,805,991......................$1,128,917,756
..2008....$95,295,819...............$154,918,793......................$250,214,612
..2007....$88,164,819
..2006....$64,182,186...............$71,313,654
..2005....$60,010,770
..2004....$56,926,613...............$$97,714,944
..2003....$50,326,965
..2002....$43,239,568...............$62,832,042
..2001....$38,387,571
..2000....$44,385,610...............$96,669,138
..1999....$35,243,141
..1998....$30,948,703...............$38,357,420........................$69,306,123

US OIL & GAS INDUSTRY
Lobbying Expenditures........Campaign Expenditures......Total Political Spending
..Total....$741,101,016..........$161,903,771.........................$903,004,787
..2008....$128,959,521.......... $35,020,697...........................$163,980,218
..2007....$84,410,985
..2006....$74,624,544...........$20,083,513
..2005....$65,325,185
..2004....$51,366,608...........$25,905,820
..2003....$55,233,514
..2002....$57,157,259...........$25,022,188
..2001....$53,935,903
..2000....$50,838,139...........$34,287,301
..1999....$58,897,506
..1998....$60,351,852...........$21,584,252.............................$81,936,104

 (Source: opensecrets.org)