Information Bulletin from Steve Gold:
Nursing Home Industry's Political Contributions and Congress' Failure to Enact the Community Choice Act.
Information Bulletin # 257 (8/08).
Disability and elderly advocates have attempted for a number of years to end the federal Medicaid "institutional bias" by amending Medicaid so it would provide a choice of either community-based services or institutional nursing facility. Currently before the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives is the Community Choice Act which would end this bias and give people a real choice.
One would think the proposed Community Choice Act would be easy to enact, because the federal government and states would spend less Medicaid funds for people to live in the community. Also, according to AARP's surveys, more than 90% of the elderly do not want to live in a nursing facility but
want to continue to reside in their own homes, so one would think our elected officials would enact the CCA.
So why hasn't Congress stampeded to enact the Community Choice Act? Who could possible oppose eliminating Medicaid's institutional bias and who would oppose giving elderly and disabled people a real choice where they want to reside?
The nursing home industry. And guess what the nursing home industry does to make sure Congress does not enact eliminate Medicaid's institutional bias by enacting the Community Choice Act? Surprise! They make contributions to our U.S. Senators and Representatives.
We would never suggest that our elected officials could be beholden to their political contributors. But how truly committed to enacting the Community Choice Act are people who have accepted contributions from the industry that opposes community choice.
Ask for a meeting with these officials. Use the information below to initiate a dialogue with your Senators and Representatives. When they say they are in favor of the Community Choice Act, ask them to return the nursing home industry contributions as a sign of good faith. If they say they oppose eliminating the institutional bias, discuss the contributions.
Many newspapers and other media might also be interested.
The American Health Care Association is the nursing home's trade association. We have looked only at the AHCA's political contributions in the last few election cycles and only at their contributions to elected
U.S. officials-- not elected state officials. Please note that the following data does not include the many contributions individual nursing home executives, specific nursing homes, and for profit nursing facilities made directly to our elected federal officials.
[FYI - You can find data for federally elected officials at http://www.opensecrets.org click on PAC and then in search bar type in American Health Care Assn. Comparable information is available for state
elected officials at http://www.followthemoney.org ]
United States Senators:
Andrews, Robert (D-NJ) $ 1,000
Baucus, Max (D-MT) $20,999
Burr, Richard (R-NC) $10,000
Cardin, Ben (D-MD) $11,000
Clinton, Hillary (D-NY) $20,000
Cochran, Thad (R-MS) $10,000
Coleman, Norm (R-MN) $10,000
Collins, Susan (R-ME) $19,000
Conrad, Ken (D-ND) $23,750
Craig, Larry (R-ID) $ 6,500
Domenici, Pete ( R-NM) $12,000
Durbin, Dick (D-IL) $21,000
Graham, Lindsay ( R-SC) $12,000
Grassley, Chuck (R-IA) $22,000
Hagan, Kay (D-NC) $ 5,000
Harkin, Tom (D-IA) $14,000
Johnson, Tim (D-SD) $27,000
Kerry, John (D-MA) $10,000
Landrieu, Mary (D-LA) $10,000
Levin, Carl (D-MI) $ 400
Lincoln, Blanche (D-AR) $27,000
McConnell, Mitch ( R-KY) $ 8,000
Mikulski, Barbara (D-MD) $19,900
Nelson, Ben (D-NE) $16,000
Pryor, Mark (D-AR) $ 8,500
Reed, Jack (D-RI) $15,900
Risch, James (R-ID $ 2,000
Roberts, Pat (R-KS) $10,000
Rockefeller, Jay (D-WV) $15,500
Salazar, Ken (D-CO) $ 3,000
Schaffer, Bob (R-CO) $ 7,000
Smith, Gordon ( R-OR) $23,500
Specter, Arlen ( R-PA) $16,000
Stevens, Ted ( R- AK) $ 5,000
Udall, Mark (D -CO) $ 3,250
Warner, Mark ( D-VA) $ 5,000
Wilson, Heather (R-NM) $ 3,300
United States House of Representatives:
Abrecrombie, Neil (D-HI) $11,300
Adler, John (D-NJ) $ 1,000
Alexander, Rodney ( R-LA) $ 1,000
Altmire, Jason (D-PA) $10,000
Arcuri, Michael (D-NY) $10,000
Barrett, Gresham ( R-SC) $21,000
Barrow, John (D-GA) $ 9,500
Barton, Joe ( R-TX) $12,000
Becerra, Xavier (D-CA) $25,500
Berkley, Shelly (D-NV) $23,500
Berry, Merion (D-AR) $12,500
Bishop, Sanford (D-GA) $ 1,000
Blunt, Roy ( R- MO) $29,500
Boehner, John ( R-OH) $25,500
Boyd, Allen (D-FL) $ 7,000
Bradley, Jeb ( R-NH) $ 5,500
Brady, Kevin ( R-TX) $ 3,500
Brown-Waite, Ginny(R-FL) $29,000
Buchanan, Vernon ( R-FL) $ 4,000
Burgess, Michael ( R-TX) $14,000
Butterfield, G.K. (D-NC) $ 1,000
Buyer, Steve (R-IN) $37,000
Calvert, Ken (R-CA) $11,500
Camp, Dave (R-MI) $21,700
Cantor, Eric (R-VA) $24,000
Capito, Shelley (R-WV) $31,250
Capps, Lois (D-CA) $27,500
Cardoza, Dennis (D-CA) $11,000
Carnahan, Russ (D-MO) $ 5,500
Carson, Andre (D-IN) $ 5,000
Castor, Kathy (D-FL) $ 5,000
Chandler, Ben (D-KY) $ 1,000
Clyburn, James (D-SC) $ 7,500
Courtney, Joe (D-CT) $12,000
Cummings, Elijah (D-MD) $ 4,000
Davis, Artur (D-AL) $ 4,000
Davis, Geoff (R-KY) $ 2,000
Deal, Nathan (R-GA) $28,500
DeLauro, Rosa (D-CT) $ 4,000
Dingell, John (D-MI) $47,000
Doggett, Lloyd (D-TX) $ 6,000
Donnelly, Joe (D-IN) $ 5,000
Dreier, David (R-CA) $ 4,100
Edwards, Chet (D-TX) $10,000
Emanuel, Rahm (D-IL) $11,500
Emerson, Jo Anne ( R-MO) $10,500
English, Phil (R-PA) $29,150
Eshoo, Anna (D-CA) $22,000
Feder, Judith (D-VA) $ 3,500
Frank, Barney (D-MA) $ 5,000
Garrett, Scott (R-NJ) $ 5,250
Gerlach, Jim (R-PA) $18,500
Giffords, Gabrielle (D-AZ) $ 2,000
Gillibrand, Kirsten (D-NY) $10,000
Gonzalez, Charlie (D-TX) $ 6,500
Gordon, Bart (D-TN) $24,000
Granger, Kay (R-TX) $ 1,500
Hall, Ralph (R-TX) $28,432
Hastert, Dennis (R-IL) $50,750
Heller, Dean (R-NV) $ 3,000
Herseth Sandlin, S (D-SD) $13,000
Higgins, Brian (D-NY) $ 2,000
Hill, Baron (D-IN) $10,000
Hobson, Dave (R-OH) $ 9,000
Hooley, Darlene (D-OR ) $ 1,500
Hoyer, Steny (D-MD) $46,000
Hulshof, Kenny (R-MO) $21,000
Jackson, Jesse (D-IL) $ 2,000
Kagen, Stephen (D-WI) $10,000
Kennedy, Patrick (D-RI) $24,200
Kind, Ron (D-WI) $ 6,500
King, Pete (R-NY) $ 7,500
Klein, Ron (D-FL) $10,000
Kuhl, John (R-NY) $ 8,300
Lamborn, Douglas ( R-CO) $ 500
Langevin, Jim (D-RI) $21,082
Larson, John (D-CT) $13,000
Latham, Tom (R-IA) $ 2,500
LaTourette, Steven (R-OH) $ 1,000
Levin, Sander (D-MI) $29,500
Lewis, John (D-GA) $ 2,000
Lewis, Ron (R-KY) $ 9,000
Linder, John (R-GA) $ 1,000
Loebsack, David (D-IA) $ 2,000
Lowey, Nita (D-NY) $ 1,500
Mahoney, Tim (D-FL) $10,000
Markey, Edward (D-MA) $ 8,000
Marshall, Jim (D-GA) $10,500
Matheson, Jim (D-UT) $ 7,000
Matsui, Doris (D-CA) $ 2,000
McCrery, Jim (R-LA) $31,500
McMorris, Cathy ( R-WA) $ 6,500
Michaud, Mike (D-ME) $ 8,500
Miller, Brad (D-NC) $ 3,000
Miller, George (D-CA) $15,000
Mitchell, Harry (D-AZ) $10,000
Moore, Dennis (D-KS) $ 3,000
Murphy, Tim (R-PA) $18,350
Neal, Richard (D-MA) $ 9,500
Obey, David (D-WI) $26,645
Pallone, Frank (D-NJ) $41,781
Pence, Mike (R-IN) $17,850
Perlmutter, Edwin (D-CO) $ 1,000
Peterson, John ( R-PA) $12,500
Pickering, Chip (R-MS) $24,000
Pitts, Joe (R-PA) $ 9,000
Pomeroy, Earl (D-ND) $46,000
Porter, Jon (R-NV) $18,000
Price, Tom (R-GA) $ 6,500
Radanovich, George (R-CA) $28,000
Ramstad, Jim (R-MN) $22,000
Rangel, Charles (D-NY) $21,000
Rodriguez, Ciro (D-TX) $ 1,500
Roskan, Peter (R-IL) $ 2,000
Ross, Mike (D-AR) $34,000
Roybal-Allard, Lucille(D-CA) $ 1,000
Ryan, Paul (R-WI) $29,500
Ryan, Tim (D-OH) $ 2,000
Salazar, John (D-CO) $ 6,000
Sali, William (R-ID) $ 3,000
Scalise, Stephen (R-LA) $ 1,000
Schock, Aaron (R-IL) $ 1,000
Schrader, Kurt (D-OR) $ 1,000
Schwartz, Allyson (D-PA) $ 9,250
Shafroth, William (D-C)) $ 250
Shays, Christopher ( R-CT) $ 8,500
Shimkus, John ( R-IL ) $39,000
Shuler, Heath (D-NC) $10,000
Souder, Mark (R-IN) $ 2,000
Space, Zachary (D-OH) $10,000
Speier, Jackie (D-CA) $ 1,000
Spratt, John (D- SC) $29,000
Stark, Pete (D-CA) $29,000
Stupak, Bart (D-MI) $19,000
Sullivan, John (R-OK) $ 3,000
Thompson, Bennie (D-MS) $ 2,000
Thompson, Mike (D-CA) $35,500
Tierney, John (D-MA) $ 5,000
Towns, Edolphuf (D-NY) $ 9,000
Tsongas, Niki (D-MA) $ 7,000
Turner, Michael ( R-OH) $ 2,000
Van Hollen, Chris ( D-MD) $ 1,000
Walberg, Tim (R-MI) $ 1,000
Walden, Greg (R-OR) $21,500
Walsh, James (R-NY) $ 8,500
Walz, Timothy (D-MN) $10,000
Waxman, Albert (D-MD) $ 2,000
Yarmuth, John (D-KY) $ 5,000
Young, Bill (R-FL) $ 8,000
"Power Concedes Nothing Without a Struggle."
~Steve Gold, The Disability Odyssey continues
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