86% of Congress has taken health insurance PAC money as industry spends to shape legislation

86% of sitting members of Congress have accepted campaign donations from health insurance company PACs, a new tracker reveals. The Health Insurance Influence Tracker, released by the Center for Health and Democracy Education Fund, shows that current members of the 119th Congress have received more than $32 million from the industry’s political action committees. Of the 536 lawmakers, 461 have taken money from insurers including UnitedHealth Group, Elevance, Cigna, and CVS/Aetna—firms that collectively reported over $71.3 billion in profits and paid their CEOs more than $146 million in 2024. The tracker uses Federal Elections Commission data to map corporate support across Capitol Hill, showing that donations are strategically directed at lawmakers with jurisdiction over health care policy, regardless of party. The top 10 recipients include seven Republicans and three Democrats. Among the 34 Congressional and party leaders, only Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders have refused all corporate PAC money. The $32 million in tracked PAC contributions is only one channel of influence: the industry also spends hundreds of millions on lobbying and employs 600 registered lobbyists—16 of whom are former members of Congress and 226 former staffers—creating a persistent revolving door that shapes legislation behind the scenes.