Big Pharma Buys Congress

Why health reform stalls

Chris Brandlin lays out his argument about big pharma campaign contributions and why he believes meaningful health reform repeatedly stalls in Washington.

His case rests on scale rather than on any single transaction. Pharmaceutical manufacturers and their trade associations are consistently among the largest categories of federal lobbying spending, and his contention is that this level of sustained access shapes which proposals reach a floor vote and which quietly do not. Anyone wanting to check the underlying numbers can pull disclosed federal contributions from the Federal Election Commission and lobbying registrations from the Senate Office of Public Records.

Stated plainly: this is his reading of how influence operates in aggregate. It is not an allegation of illegality against any specific company, legislator, or official.

The state-level version of the same question is the reason the AD-42 donor transparency report exists, and why the voting record is published alongside it.

Related: the conversation with Rebelo on the same subject, plus healthcare reform and public health policy.