There’s a particular breed of lawmaker on Capitol Hill that is pushing hard against a public health care plan, much to the delight of two seriously moneyed special interest groups–insurers and pharmaceuticals. They’re the Blue Dogs: moderate, vocal and funded in part by the industries trying to protect their bottom line.

The typical member* of the Blue Dog caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives has received $10,300 more from insurers than the typical non-Blue Dog Democrat in the House (including health and accident insurers, HMOs and other health services) and only $3,625 less than the typical House Republican. Earlier this month, the Blue Dogs sent a letter to House leadership arguing that a public option should be created “only if insurance market reforms and increased competition don’t lower costs on their own,” according to the Politico.

The support for Blue Dogs from health care professionals is even more evident. Health pros are among the top 20 industry donors to 38 Blue Dogs since 1989 and are the No. 1 donor for five of them. Health pros have also given the typical Blue Dog $47,550 more than the typical non-Blue Dog Democrat in the House. This month the American Medical Association, which lobbies on behalf of doctors, also came out against a public health insurance plan. The AMA is among the top 20 contributors to 10 Blue Dogs since 1989.

Insurance and pharmaceutical companies fear that a public health option would allow the government to control costs and steal business. And with the Blue Dogs leading the charge against the government-funded plan, the industries might just get their way. Without any support from the GOP, two-thirds of the coalition’s members, who mostly represent Southern and Midwestern states, would have to get behind the House legislation, according to Kaiser Health News.

The health sector overall has given $62,650 more to the typical Blue Dog Democrat than to the typical non-Blue Dog Dem since 1989, while hospitals and nursing homes also favor them, giving $5,680 and $5,550 more, respectively. The typical House Republican, however, has collected more than the typical Democrat–Blue Dog or not–from insurers, health professionals and the health sector overall.

When it comes to the pharmaceutical and health products industry, the typical Blue Dog has collected more than the typical non-Blue Dog Dem, but on average, the non-Blue Dog Democrats have brought in more from the companies.

*The term “typical” refers to the median, which we are using for comparison in part because of the handful of lawmakers in leadership who have raised large amounts of money, skewing the mean.

Here’s a list of the members of the Blue Dog Coalition and the total they’ve received to their leadership PAC and candidate committees from the employees and PACs of various health-related industries and the health sector overall since 1989:

Name Health Sector Health Insurance Pharmaceutical Health Pros Hospitals Nursing Homes Rep. Earl Pomeroy (D-ND) $1,395,099 $628,804 $130,999 $783,210 $158,716 $132,000 Rep. Bart Gordon (D-Tenn) $1,173,896 $90,710 $164,478 $699,218 $112,350 $156,250 Rep. John Tanner (D-Tenn) $949,249 $252,950 $300,970 $270,618 $215,436 $25,750 Rep. Mike Ross (D-Ark) $921,670 $30,500 $102,200 $622,048 $47,900 $97,250 Rep. Jim Cooper (D-Tenn) $896,414 $153,175 $104,650 $236,282 $239,030 $39,923 Rep. Jim Matheson (D-Utah) $772,878 $91,500 $217,451 $403,484 $54,650 $10,000 Rep. Allen Boyd (D-Fla) $689,842 $71,750 $142,961 $408,244 $82,781 $18,956 Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Calif) $647,032 $70,070 $129,750 $362,882 $48,885 $60,600 Rep. David Scott (D-Ga) $610,279 $90,831 $64,000 $494,628 $24,401 $3,250 Rep. Marion Berry (D-Ark) $567,917 $20,750 $40,050 $400,767 $43,800 $60,600 Rep. Dennis Moore (D-Kan) $461,855 $137,700 $46,750 $309,255 $71,850 $3,000 Rep. Jim Marshall (D-Ga) $461,425 $56,000 $20,150 $330,574 $52,501 $27,700 Rep. Mike McIntyre (D-NC) $422,198 $26,250 $44,998 $268,900 $57,050 $12,500 Rep. Jason Altmire (D-Pa) $419,279 $36,050 $73,794 $159,200 $116,235 $17,500 Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Calif) $407,939 $68,300 $61,700 $224,684 $39,330 $1,000 Rep. Melissa Bean (D-Ill) $392,000 $74,650 $210,330 $90,360 $31,170 $22,470 Rep. Tim Holden (D-Pa) $388,278 $20,673 $7,300 $305,042 $51,288 $13,250 Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) $387,709 $12,000 $37,850 $296,709 $26,250 $500 Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif) $386,208 $31,500 $22,650 $304,086 $40,842 $4,000 Rep. Baron Hill (D-Ind) $379,343 $77,500 $136,516 $152,152 $45,225 $16,000 Rep. Sanford D Bishop Jr (D-Ga) $357,496 $175,890 $28,500 $210,596 $52,800 $4,450 Rep. John Barrow (D-Ga) $346,351 $42,600 $64,750 $232,825 $14,375 $12,000 Rep. Dennis Cardoza (D-Calif) $330,006 $20,350 $11,000 $240,406 $51,700 $15,000 Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-SD) $329,924 $44,600 $16,100 $214,180 $58,549 $18,200 Rep. Patrick J Murphy (D-Pa) $320,253 $30,300 $107,536 $131,611 $45,174 $6,300 Rep. Leonard L Boswell (D-Iowa) $306,680 $60,950 $6,550 $225,330 $41,750 $15,850 Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif) $305,194 $39,000 $41,950 $212,319 $21,925 $3,000 Rep. Dan Boren (D-Okla) $265,960 $24,500 $27,000 $195,010 $29,400 $6,050 Rep. Gene Taylor (D-Miss) $265,153 $12,600 $5,750 $243,253 $8,500 $500 Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz) $256,320 $39,400 $18,000 $167,900 $33,775 $12,000 Rep. Charles J Melancon (D-La) $250,088 $27,600 $62,149 $102,999 $38,800 $3,000 Rep. Lincoln Davis (D-Tenn) $239,075 $27,750 $43,300 $128,475 $27,600 $24,800 Rep. Collin C Peterson (D-Minn) $235,870 $45,250 $29,500 $167,300 $16,520 $4,050 Rep. Mike Michaud (D-Maine) $233,250 $30,350 $10,750 $169,600 $21,300 $14,000 Rep. Ben Chandler (D-Ky) $227,600 $28,000 $2,300 $158,250 $29,500 $1,500 Rep. Parker Griffith (D-Ala) $216,200 $9,500 $18,000 $164,500 $12,350 $13,100 Rep. Heath Shuler (D-NC) $192,312 $11,750 $71,050 $77,862 $27,900 $10,500 Rep. John Salazar (D-Colo) $184,508 $19,500 $9,750 $116,958 $31,950 $8,250 Rep. Chris Carney (D-Pa) $173,714 $5,150 $19,950 $111,439 $21,525 $8,000 Rep. Zachary T Space (D-Ohio) $165,444 $14,650 $31,019 $92,400 $18,075 $19,450 Rep. Joe Baca (D-Calif) $161,250 $11,500 $11,800 $129,250 $6,300 $3,500 Rep. Brad Ellsworth (D-Ind) $158,628 $13,800 $29,250 $109,628 $11,250 $0 Rep. Charlie Wilson (D-Ohio) $143,224 $13,500 $16,004 $88,650 $9,820 $5,000 Rep. Walter Clifford Minnick (D-Idaho) $126,464 $9,950 $4,200 $100,194 $9,370 $2,000 Rep. Jim Costa (D-Calif) $114,675 $6,500 $12,700 $69,150 $21,225 $3,000 Rep. Glenn Nye (D-Va) $112,050 $500 $5,550 $96,350 $2,000 $500 Rep. Harry E Mitchell (D-Ariz) $109,825 $38,600 $10,000 $53,000 $14,975 $14,000 Rep. Michael Arcuri (D-NY) $106,547 $12,750 $1,000 $75,547 $10,150 $17,800 Rep. Joe Donnelly (D-Ind) $102,498 $15,400 $3,200 $71,993 $14,155 $7,500 Rep. Frank M Kratovil Jr (D-Md) $86,806 $14,500 $14,000 $36,206 $11,050 $9,250 Rep. Bobby Bright (D-Ala) $73,750 $11,000 $9,000 $28,200 $5,700 $10,850 Rep. Travis W Childers (D-Miss) $64,950 $6,500 $8,500 $40,650 $5,500 $6,500

Download a spreadsheet of this data here:

(Note: If you do use this data, please be sure to credit CRP.)

CRP Senior Researcher Douglas Weber and Communications Intern Aaron Kiersh contributed to this report.

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