Watkins Abbitt is fond of bragging this election season of his concern for those in need of prescription drugs and health care. I thought we should take a look at who he accepts money from in the health care industry and what it might mean.

First, let’s start with the money he has accepted from big health care companies.

1997 – present $41,110

Sectors:

HMO’s & Medical Plans	$8,500
Dentists	$7,750
Physicians	$7,510
Pharmaceuticals	$4,850
Optometrists	$3,750
Nursing Homes	$3,000
Pharmacists	$2,500
Hospitals/Health Systems	$2,100
Chiropractor	$550
Anesthesiologists	$250
Medical Labs/Testing	$200
Nurses	$150

Now, let’s say you have a problem to discuss with your representative in the House of Delegates. It’s about your HMO. You tell your Delegate that Anthem is not doing what they are supposed to be doing, like coverage for an illness.

Anthem donated $5,250 to Watkins Abbitt over the last ten years, $3,000 of it in this election cycle. Whose interests are going to be looked after? I won’t say that your complaint would fall on deaf ears, but these contributions are what helps Abbitt get elected over and over again. The Virginia Association of Health Plans has given Abbitt $3,250 since 2003.

Let’s say you have a problem with your dentist, something about the service you got from that office or offices. You call your Delegate, and tell him your problem. He remembers the $7,750 he has gotten from the Virginia Dental Association, including $5,000 this election cycle alone. Does he have a satisfactory answer for you?

Remember those mailers this year with the picture of Mr. Abbitt in a nursing home looking at a prescription bottle? That’s right, he took $3,000 from the nursing home industry, including $1,000 from the Virginia Health Care Association just this cycle.

Do you see a trend here?

That prescription bottle he was holding up in that oft-used picture in his mailers is a puzzle. He claims to be protecting us from rising prescription drug costs. He even claims to be ‘fighting to strengthen Medicare and Social Security.’ (campaign mailer)

I wonder if he can do anything about Social Security, since it is a federal program. There are programs administered by the Commonwealth, but largely under federal funding and guidelines

And there is the fact that he has taken over $4,800 from pharmaceutical interests, including $1,000 this cycle.

Medco Health Systems Inc	$1,750
Barr Laboratories Inc	$1,000
Pfizer Inc	$575
Abbott Laboratories	$500
Wyeth Pharmaceuticals	$400
Johnson & Johnson	$250
CIBA Geigy Pharmaceuticals Div	$150
Novartis Pharmaceuticals	$150
American Home Products	$75

Who do you think Mr. Abbitt will listen to when you call?