Delegates’ support for public option linked to industry money

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An analysis of OpenSecrets.org‘s database of campaign contributions from 1990 to the present finds that the more a Minnesota member of Congress takes from insurers and health maintenance organizations (HMOs), the less likely they are to support a “public option” — or a government-run insurance program to compete with private versions — as part of comprehensive health care reform.

Rep. John Kline has accepted $99,400 from the health insurance industry since 1990. He is a staunch opponent of the public option.

“The Democrats plan is it increases the role of the federal government through a new government-run plan and an expansion of Medicaid,” he told the House Education and Labor Committee on June 23. “With government spending on health care already exploding and the federal Medicare and Medicaid programs already on the road to insolvency, I can’t imagine the reasoning behind intensifying the stress placed on these programs.”

And though Kline vehemently opposes a public option, he acknowledges that such a government-run option would save money.

“[O]ur fear is that if you actually get in there looking at the legislation that it’s set up in a way that employers would increasingly opt to letting their employees move over to the public option,” Kline told Minnesota Public Radio on June 25. “And because it is cheaper, it’s designed to save money, the government-run program has some very clear advantages.”

Rep. Michele Bachmann raised $45,950 from the health insurance industry and opposes any public health insurance system, saying that if such a plan passes everyone would be under “a government-run program.”

“Rep. Bachmann shares [the] concern that the health care system in the United States is in desperate need of significant reform, but feels that public option isn’t the reform that we need,” spokesman Dave Dziok told the St. Cloud Times on June 26. “She feels that today’s system is too bureaucratic, and that we should be making moves to a new patient-focused system of consumer choice and free-market competition.”

Bachmann called the health reform plan “socialized medicine” in an opinion piece at Townhall in April. “The Democrats’ immediate strategy in this march toward socialized medicine is to try and attract just a smattering of Republican support by making it as bland and constrained as possible in its appearance — selling it as a measure with strict limits and boundaries.”

Rep. Collin Peterson has taken in $45,250 from the health insurance industry and has been leaning toward opposing the public option.

He is a member of the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of moderate to conservative Democrats. Peterson put his name on a set of conditions released by the Blue Dogs — and the public option was heavily criticized by the group.

The coalition went after the public option again on Friday, but Peterson’s name was absent.

But on Tuesday, the 7th Congressional District Democrat told Minnesota Public Radio, “There’s a lot of people that think a public option is a magic bullet. And what’s being talked about in the house with the public option is to take the medicare system and add five percent to the medicare reimbursements and that’s what the public option is going to be. That is a recipe for disaster.”

He has, however, vowed to vote against any public option that includes abortion services.

Rep. Erik Paulsen has received $39,550 in contributions from the health insurance industry but opposes any government-run health care.

“While there is much speculation to what a reform plan will look like, one thing is for sure: We must avoid any plan that would lead to a government takeover of health care,” he said from the House floor on June 23.

“A government takeover of health care will stifle medical breakthroughs and take away the peace of mind that families around America have, knowing that they can get the timely treatment for their children, their parents and themselves. We need real comprehensive reform that protects what works and fixes what doesn’t.”

Paulsen has introduced the Medical Rights and Reform Act, which among other things would work to eliminate existing “public options” by “giving low-income families the option to use public funds to purchase private health insurance plans.”

Rep. Keith Ellison has accepted $21,783 from the health insurance industry, but says he “will not vote for any health care that does not include a public option.” Ellison even encouraged his colleagues to speak out in support of the public option by videotaping them on the House floor.

He is listed as a supporter of the public option at Health Care for America Now, a group dedicated to “building a national movement to win comprehensive health care reform” — and one that supports a public option. Ellison is also committed to a government-run, single-payer system.

Rep. Betty McCollum raised $19,450 from the health insurance industry, but she says a public option could work.

“I would like to see a Minnesota MinnCare not-for-profit model moving forward,” McCollum told MinnPost last month. “And, I’m going to keep working toward that goal and trying to incentivize my colleagues to get with me.”

She is listed as supporting the core elements of a comprehensive health care plan at Health Care for America Now, which includes a public option.

She said at a rally on Monday that she supports such an option, but wants to look first at non-tax sources to fund it. “Before I want to go to talking about increasing taxes, I want to make sure we’ve really looked, and we’ve put measures in place for the efficiencies and accountability.”

Rep. Tim Walz took in $16,700 from the health insurance industry and is a lukewarm supporter of a public option.

He says an option that is run like Medicare would not be sustainable, but he has authored legislation, along with Ellison, to make some fixes to the Medicare system.

“Our patients should be getting the best quality care for their money,” Walz said in a press release. “Yet our current payment system ignores quality and value. It doesn’t reward good quality or punish service providers for poor quality care. I don’t know any other industry that operates like this.”

He is listed as a supporter of the public option at Health Care for America Now.

Rep. James Oberstar got $11,350 from the health insurance industry, and appears to support a public option. He’s also indicated to single-payer advocates in recent months that he is also a supporter of that system although he has yet to cosponsor HR 676, a bill in the House that would create a single-payer system.

He is listed as a supporter of the public option at Health Care for America Now, but says he’d vote against it if it pays for abortion services.

Sen. Al Franken garnered $87,945 from the health insurance industry during the most expensive Senate race in Minnesota history. While he hasn’t spoken out about the public option in the few days since being sworn in, he has said he supports measures to encourage states to set up single-payer systems.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar accepted $73,950 from the health insurance industry and has been noncommittal on the issue of a public option. “[The] first priority for health care reform is to make health care more affordable and to protect what works in Minnesota and fix what’s broken in the system,” Klobuchar’s spokesman Linden Zakula told the St. Cloud Times. “She wants to make sure that the legislation controls costs, rewards quality and provides access to preventative services.”

She is listed as a supporter of the public option at Health Care for America Now, but she told a rally outside her office on Friday that she would not support the bill until she saw the language.