Who Profits From Special Interests Groups?

PART ONE PART TWO Purpose of PART TWO: Students will be able to INSURANCE PREMIUMS INCREASE, BUT DO WORKER'S EARNINGS? WHO PROFITS compare healthcare costs in relation to the insured's income. These figures are not proportional. Discuss Cost of Living Increases (p. 212). Purpose of PART ONE: Students will be able to compare individual senators with campaign contributions by special interest groups. Point out disparities and discuss why all senators do not take the same amount. FROM SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS? Percent increase in average annual combined premium for employers and employees from 2000 to 2007. The percentage of difference between increase in health care premiums and in median wages from 2000 to 2007. TEACHER'S GUIDE 2008 AVERAGE FAMILY OF FOUR SALARY $67,019 2008 AVERAGE A collaboration between GOOD and Newhouse Design Percent increase in median workers' earnings from 2000 to 2007. SENATOR SALARY $174,000 Health care reform is a current major issue currently before the U.S. Congress. Health insurance providers-who stand to become more regulated or to have to compete with a government-run health care service if certain reforms are enacted-currently donate massive amounts of money to the members of Congress who will decide the issue. The average combined premium for employers and employees from 2000 to 2007 has greatly increased, and is not in proportion to the percent increase in median family earnings from the same period. Figures were not available for Mississippi and Wisconsin. ALABAMA ALASKA ARKANSAS ARIZONA CALIFORNIA Jeff Sessions $ 4,000 Richard Shelby $ 7,000 Mark Begich $ 8,200 Lisa Murkowski Blanche Lincoln $ 87,050 Mark Pryor $ 22,400 $ 109,450 Barbara Boxer Jon Kyl $ 160,800 John McCain $ 1,000 Dianne Feinstein $ 47,000 $ 11,000 $ 19,200 $ 409,578 $ 570,378 $ 11,000 $ 48,000 QUESTIONS FOR REVIEW Each figure represents a state's senator, and the total amount of money they took from HMOS and the health insurance industry during the last election cycle. 1. Which state has the highest increase in premiums? Wyoming, with 129 percent. 2. Which state has the lowest increase in median income? Michigan, with 6 percent. Discuss economic troubles in Michigan, (Chapter Seven). ↑ 62% 161% 154% AZ 158% ^77% AR AZ 79 74 66 81 96 (*) Senator was appointed and has not gone through an election cycle. 17 13 12 23 19 COLORADO CONNECTICUT DELAWARE FLORIDA GEORGIA QUESTIONS FOR REVIEW Michael Bennet $ 2,000 Mark Udall $ 75,300 $ 77,300 Christopher Dodd $ 103,200 Joe Lieberman $ 140,200 $ 243,400 Saxby Chambliss $ 91,200 Johnny Isakson $ 25,800 $ 117,000 Tom Carper $ 20,830 Ted Kaufman Mel Martinez $ 2,000 1. Which Senator received the most money? Max Baucus (D-MT) with $435,400. 2. Which state had the highest total? Arizona with $570,378. 3. Which Democrat received the most money? Max Baucus (D-MT) with $435,400. 4. Which Republican received the most money? John McCain (R-AZ) with $409,578. 5. Two senators have zero contributions because they were appointed, and therefore weren't in the last election cycle. How many Bill Nelson $ 65,550 $ 67,550 For Further Study and Discussion: $ 0* 1. Define and describe how campaign contributions work (p.241-245). $ 20,830 2. Make bulletin board display on how one pays for a campaign to become a senator (p.71) or a member of the House of Representatives (p.72). Be sure to include contributions made to state representatives as well. 159% 171% 1 62% 152% ↑ 63% CT DE GA GA 75 81 77 72 73 16 10 15 20 other senators besides these two have not taken any contributions from these groups? 13. 3. Research which special interest group makes the largest individual contributions and write an essay explaining where the money goes. HAWAII IDAHO ILLINOIS INDIANA IOWA Daniel Akaka $ 7,000 Daniel Inouye $0 Evan Bayh $ 34,350 Richard Lugar $ 14,500 Chuck Grassley $ 133,184 Tom Harkin $ 44,250 Mike Crapo $ 51,673 Roland Burris WHAT'S YOUR INFORMED OPINION? Have student write minimum of 100 words on each topic to gain greater understanding. 1. Why do you think some senators have taken HMO money, and some have not? $ 0* Dick Durbin $ 63,950 Jim Risch 4. Request a list of contributors to your state's senator's campaign and make presentation to class. $ 5,500 $ 7,000 $ 57,173 $ 63,950 $ 48,850 $ 177,434 2. Why would these groups want to contribute this money? Who benefits? 5. Try to prove how contributions affect voting on issues related to the special interests of the contributors. 3. How is the money accounted for? ↑46% ID 191% ↑60% ^72% ↑54% 6. Make information graphic about money donated by the healthcare sector to federal politicians in 2008. Pharmaceuticals/Health Products. $ 233,707,158 ID 65 122 73 83 73 Points to Review with students: 19 31 13 11 19 Each state has two senators, who may be from different parties. (p.180). KANSAS KENTUCKY LOUISIANA MAINE MARYLAND Hospitals/Nursing Homes 101,059,188 Sam Brownback $0 Pat Roberts Jim Bunning $ 11,500 Mitch McConnell $ 258,900 Ben Cardin $ 46,050 Barbara Mikulski $ 7,000 $ 53,050 Figures shown are for the last election cycle, so a long-serving senator might have collected several times this amount. Arizona leads in total money taken, with a combined career total for Kyl and McCain of $10,697,929. Mary Landrieu $ 101,048 David Vitter Susan Collins $ 120,050 Olympia Snowe $ 44,680 $ 164,730 Health Professionals .82,199,419 Health Services/HMOS .61,136,507 $ 73,950 $ 73,950 $ 20,200 $ 121,248 Miscellaneous Health 5,832,049 Discuss other uses for $10 million $ 270,400 $ 483,934,321 Total..... Compare average contribution to average family income in your state. ^70% KY ↑31% ↑52% ME 173% MD MD 43% KS KS ME 88 48 75 90 64 18 17 17 21 MASSACHUSETTS MICHIGAN MINNESOTA MISSISSIPPI MISSOURI Ted Kennedy $ 33,750 John Kerry $ 62,920 $ 96,670 Carl Levin Debbie Stabenow $ 106,850 $ 106,850 Al Franken $ 2,000 Amy Klobuchar $ 41,450 $ 43,450 Thad Cochran $ 19,800 Roger Wicker Kit Bond $ 27,000 Claire McCaskill $ 42,800 $ 69,800 $ 19,800 MA MA 166% ^73% MN MN ↑57% MS MS MO MO 1 59% MI 78 78 79 NA 76 12 17 17 MONTANA NEBRASKA NEW HAMPSHIRE NEVADA NEW JERSEY Mike Johanns $ 13,200 Ben Nelson $ 102,700 $ 115,900 Judd Gregg $ 11,000 Jeanne Shaheen John Ensign $ 111,500 Harry Reid $ 128,850 Frank Lautenberg $0 Bob Menendez Max Baucus $ 435,400 Jon Tester $0 $ 72,650 $ 72,650 $ 435,400 $ 11,000 $ 240,350 MT MT 173% ^ 48% ↑ 63% 134% NJ NJ 156% NE NE 89 69 79 55 71 16 21 16 21 15 NEW MEXICO NEW YORK NORTH CAROLINA NORTH DAKOTA OНIО Kirsten Gillibrand $0 Charles Schumer Sherrod Brown Jeff Bingaman $ 34,050 Tom Udall $ 24,950 $ 59,000 Richard Burr $ 26,400 Kay Hagan $ 1,000 $ 27,400 Kent Conrad $ 130,015 Byron Dorgan $ 18,800 $ 148,815 $ 30,083 George Voinovich $ 31,100 $ 74,800 $ 74,800 $ 61,183 NM NM 172% NY NY 170% NC NC ↑ 61% ND ND ↑ 48% Он ↑ 67% 92 81 75 74 76 11 14 26 OKLAHOMA OREGON PENNSYLVANIA RHODE ISLAND SOUTH CAROLINA Tom Coburn $ 1,500 James Inhofe $0 Jeff Merkley $ 8,750 Ron Wyden $ 44,800 Bob Casey, Jr. $ 36,050 Arlen Specter $ 54,850 Jack Reed $ 16,000 Sheldon Whitehouse $0 Jim DeMint $ 20,000 Lindsey Graham $0 $ 1,500 $ 53,550 $ 90,900 $ 16,000 $ 20,000 Oк ок ^43% OR OR ↑ 67% PA ^73% ↑66% SC SC ↑ 63% 62 85 86 83 76 19 18 13 17 13 SOUTH DAKOTA TENNESSEE TEXAS UTAH VERMONT Lamar Alexander $ 64,350 Bob Corker John Cornyn $ 68,850 Kay Bailey Hutchison $ 3,500 $ 73,250 Patrick Leahy $ 7,500 Bernie Sanders $0 Robert Bennett $ 19,000 Orrin Hatch Tim Johnson $ 13,950 John Thune $0 $ 40,850 $ 157,300 $ 13,950 $ 105,200 $ 176,300 $ 7,500 SD ↑38% 1 50% 172% UT UT ↑68% ↑55% TN 55 62 87 85 75 17 12 17 20 VIRGINIA WASHINGTON WEST VIRGINIA WISCONSIN WYOMING Mark Warner $ 92,400 Jim Webb Robert Byrd $ 9,575 Jay Rockefeller $ 99,550 Russ Feingold $ 21,650 Herb Kohl $0 Maria Cantwell John Barrasso $ 49,350 Patty Murray $ 19,000 $ 16,250 Mike Enzi $ 68,000 $ 84,250 $ 4,800 $ 97,200 $ 68,350 $ 109,125 $ 21,650 ↑63% WA ^71% ↑56% ↑101% 83 87 75 NA 129 20 16 19 28