BC-ConsumrWatch-BlueDogs

To: POLITICAL EDITORS

Contact: Jerry Flanagan, +1-310-889-4912, Carmen Balber, +1-202-629-3043,

both of Consumer Watchdog

WASHINGTON, June 9 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The "Blue Dog Coalition," a

group of 51 conservative and moderate House democrats who now oppose a strong

public option to for-profit health insurers, took $1.7 million in campaign

contributions since 2005 from the health insurance and drug industries

according to Consumer Watchdog.

On the Senate side, Politico reported today that Mary Landrieu (D-LA) now

opposes the public option. Landrieu received $40,080 from health insurers and

$75,800 from drug companies.

Download Consumer Watchdog's analysis of health insurer and drug company

contributions to the Blue Dogs:

http://www.ConsumerWatchdog.org/resources/BlueDogDemsInsurersandPharma$.xls

"The insurer and drug lobbies are leashing the Blue Dogs with $1.7 million

in campaign contributions to keep them from fighting on behalf of a public

alternative to for-profit health care," said Carmen Balber, Director of

Consumer Watchdog's D.C. Office. "What the Blue Dogs are telling us is that

the insurance and drug companies should be trusted, but that's because they

don't want to bite the hand that feeds them. That's no comfort to the

millions of Americans who have been mistreated by their insurance companies,

much less those that can't afford health care due to the greed of the private

market."

Total health insurer contributions to the Blue Dogs $839,806

Total pharmaceutical company contributions to the Blue Dogs $896,734

For more information about the Blue Dogs' position on the "public option"

see the "June 4" post at: http://www.house.gov/melancon/BlueDogs/index.html

The Center for Responsive Politics compiled federal campaign contribution

data from the Federal Elections Commission for the 2006 and 2008 election

cycles for use in this analysis.

Download Consumer Watchdog's analysis of the campaign contributions to the

entire Congress:

-- "Contribution Summary" - This spreadsheet allows the user to rank

members of the House and Senate by the level of contributions they


received from each industry. Available at:

http://www.ConsumerWatchdog.org/resources/ContributionSummary.xls

-- "Contribution Pivot Table" - This spreadsheet allows the user to sort

the data by recipient, donor, party, house, and state. Available at:

http://www.ConsumerWatchdog.org/resources/CongressPivotTables.xls

Read Consumer Watchdog's letter to Congressional leaders listing 10

patient abuses perpetrated by HMOs and health insurers that are currently not

addressed by the House and Senate reform proposals.

http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/patients/articles/?storyId27748

Read Consumer Watchdog's letter calling on Senator Baucus and members

of the U.S. Finance Committee to publicly answer ten questions about how

requiring all Americans to show proof of insurance or face tax penalties will

provide affordable health care.

http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/patients/articles/?storyId27289&topicId9871

Read Consumer Watchdog's letter to President Obama and Sens. Kennedy

and Baucus warning them not to agree to the health insurers' plan to gut state

health care laws.

http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/patients/articles/?storyId27228

Read Consumer Watchdog's letter to U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA)

urging that he continue to protect patients consistent with the principles he

has articulated during his 40 year career.

http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/patients/articles/?storyId26398

Read Consumer Watchdog's analysis of health insurer and drug company

contributions to members of Congress.

http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/patients/articles/?storyId25468

Read about a recent national poll that found that 65% of voters support

giving every American of any age the option of joining Medicare; 60% are

willing to pay more in payroll deductions for this option.

http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/patients/articles/?storyId24826

Read about a national poll that found, by contrast, that only 16% of

U.S. voters support, and 53% oppose, the insurance industries' plan of

requiring every American to provide proof of private health insurance or face

tax penalties or other fines.

http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/patients/articles/?storyId24110

Consumer Watchdog is a non-partisan consumer advocacy organization. Visit

us on the web at http://www.ConsumerWatchdog.org.

SOURCE Consumer Watchdog