2016. The political pressure to pass a prescription drug benefit for Medicare was apparently quite high, while

the political pressure to assist the 40 million with no health insurance at all was considerably lower. One

reason might be that the American Association for Retired People AARP, a well-funded and well-organized

lobbying group represents senior citizens, while there is no umbrella organization to lobby for those without

health insurance.

In the battle over passage of the 2010 Affordable Care Act (ACA), which became known as “Obamacare,” there

was heavy lobbying on all sides by insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies. However, labor

unions and community groups financed a lobby group, Health Care for America Now (HCAN), to offset

corporate lobbying. HCAN, spending $60 million dollars, was successful in helping pass legislation which

added new regulations on insurance companies and a mandate that all individuals will obtain health
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