May 16, 2011 - Nursing homes are seeking exemptions from the new health care law, claiming an inability to fund new insurance coverage mandates, according to the New York Times.
According to analysis conducted by MapLight, over the past decade (Jan 1. 2001-Dec. 31 2010):
- The nursing home industry has contributed $12.4 million to candidate campaign committees of members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives elected since the 109th Congress. The American Health Care Association and its employees, one of the groups quoted in the New York Times article, accounts for over $4.5 million in campaign contributions.
- Total contributions from the nursing home industry have increased each election cycle, from $1.4 million in the 2002 election cycle to $3.5 million in the 2010 election cycle.
Breakdown by Party per Election Cycle
A closer look at contributions from nursing homes shows that their contributions to senators are fairly evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats within each cycle, but contributions to House members vary according to which party is in power. While there was only one cycle in the last five in which either party in the Senate received more than 53% of nursing home contributions (57% to Democrats in the 2004 cycle), the party in control of the House of Representatives never received less than 58% of nursing home contributions to House members.
U.S. Congress
| 2002 cycle | 2004 cycle | 2006 cycle | 2008 cycle | 2010 cycle | Total | |
| Democrat | $613,233 | $721,390 | $970,863 | $2,004,041 | $1,953,872 | $6,263,399 |
| Republican | $830,049 | $940,655 | $1,394,633 | $1,406,510 | $1,542,818 | $6,114,665 |
| Total | $1,443,282 | $1,662,045 | $2,365,496 | $3,410,551 | $3,496,690 | $12,378,064 |
| Democrat % | 42% | 43% | 41% | 59% | 56% | 51% |
| Republican % | 58% | 57% | 59% | 41% | 44% | 49% |
House of Representatives
| 2002 cycle | 2004 cycle | 2006 cycle | 2008 cycle | 2010 cycle | Total | |
| Democrat | $324,254 | $310,385 | $562,863 | $1,179,870 | $1,352,552 | $3,729,924 |
| Republican | $532,599 | $631,371 | $1,005,807 | $688,485 | $997,385 | $3,855,647 |
| Total | $856,853 | $941,756 | $1,568,670 | $1,868,355 | $2,349,937 | $7,585,571 |
| Democrat % | 38% | 33% | 36% | 63% | 58% | 49% |
| Republican % | 62% | 67% | 64% | 37% | 42% | 51% |
Senate
| 2002 cycle | 2004 cycle | 2006 cycle | 2008 cycle | 2010 cycle | Total | |
| Democrat | $288,979 | $411,005 | $408,000 | $824,171 | $601,320 | $2,533,475 |
| Republican | $297,450 | $309,284 | $388,826 | $718,025 | $545,433 | $2,259,018 |
| Total | $586,429 | $720,289 | $796,826 | $1,542,196 | $1,146,753 | $4,792,493 |
| Democrat % | 49% | 57% | 51% | 53% | 52% | 53% |
| Republican % | 51% | 43% | 49% | 47% | 48% | 47% |
Monetary and non-monetary contributions to candidate campaign committees of legislators serving in the 109th, 110th, 111th and 112th Congresses. Contributions data provided by the Center for Responsive Politics (OpenSecrets.org). Contribution totals are based on campaign contribution figures connected to the nursing home industry as established by the Center for Responsive Politics.
