logo
Please note!
This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
Brief Publisher Logo
FACT BRIEF

Has America’s insurance industry favored the GOP with its 2020 political contributions?

By Jacqueline Agustin
Copy link
email
Copy featured image
email
NO

While health insurance has been a major issue in the 2020 campaign, federal contribution data doesn't show the insurance industry taking sides in a visible way. Support from industry executives—$85.3 million through Oct. 23—has split almost 50/50, according to tabulations by the Center for Responsive Politics.

Donations from those working for three major health insurers (Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Aflac Inc. and Cigna Corp.) show no clear preference pattern. Contributions from employees in many sectors don't always reflect employers' preferences. Progressives favoring more aggressive reforms such as Medicare-for-all voice suspicions of their motives. “They’re influencing both sides and they’re doing it so that regardless of who wins, they continue to influence politics and policy,” Paco Fabian, a progressive activist, told The Hill in January.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Center for Responsive Politics: Insurance—Top contributors to federal candidates, parties, and outside groups
The Hill: Progressives raise red flags over health insurer donations
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Gigafact
Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
FACT BRIEF BY
Brief Publisher Logo
Latest fact briefs
facebook
twitter
email
email
About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.