 (Image: Plutor under CC 2.0) |
2009 was an eventful year for the health care industry. Political action committees (PACs) gave an especially large amount of donations to politicians who supported their views on potential changes to the American health insurance system. The top 15 alone increased their giving by 14% over the last non-election year, for a total of $11.7 million.
About $800,000 of that came from the American Optometric Association PAC, one-fifth of it in November alone. The vast majority of the vision doctors’ funds were steered towards Democrats. Their influence likely paid off in a favorable provision in both House and Senate legislation: medical insurance plans would no longer be allowed to restrict optometry care access. As a result, more business would be steered towards them.
