Patient Power Is Dead: Medicare for All

Patient Power Is Dead: A Tour of the Left’s Advocacy for Government Control of Health Care Dollars (full series)
Obamacare and Alternatives | Medicare for All
Big Labor and Medicare for All
Labor Unions and the ACA | Promoters of the Status Quo
The Arabella Network | Arabella’s Secretive 2018 Election Projects

Medicare for All

The Center for Popular Democracy (CPD), one of organizing groups noted above, is a tax-exempt, charitable nonprofit that reported spending nearly $36.5 million during 2019. The Center for Popular Democracy Action Fund, a political advocacy group affiliated with it, spent almost $7.6 million that year. CPD also advocates for other radical policies such as the Green New Deal.

Two years after the incursion at the congressional offices, the Center for Popular Democracy endorsed Medicare for All, one of many left-leaning nonprofits that have done so.

Over the years several left-wing members of Congress have introduced Medicare for All proposals, the most famous of which was probably introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT). An April 2019 news release from the office of the Vermont socialist listed dozens of nonprofits endorsing his Medicare for All legislation. When promoting her Medicare for All Act of 2021, Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) listed as supporters many of the same groups.

Some of the more prominent groups appearing on one or both lists included:

• National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). The nation’s oldest civil rights group spent $31.3 million in 2019. Along with its affiliates it has an enormous financial reach in the public policy and political arena. The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund raised $150 million for the year ending June 2020 and more than $59.5 million combined for the two prior years. The NAACP National Voter Fund spent $1.2 million in 2019.
• AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF). The AHF exists primarily to provide health care services to HIV/AIDS patients. It too has enormous resources. It had total revenue of nearly $1.4 billion in 2019, total expenses of nearly $1.3 billion, and net assets of nearly $490 billion.
• National Organization for Women (NOW). The left-leaning feminist advocacy group collected $4.3 million in revenue during 2019. An affiliated educational nonprofit, the National Organization for Women Foundation, collected revenue of almost $1.2 million in 2019.
• National Domestic Workers Alliance. The left-leaning labor advocacy nonprofit reported expenses of nearly $16.5 million for 2019.
• Demos. This educational nonprofit promotes many left-wing positions, such as the Green New Deal. The group spent nearly $11.3 million for the year ending June 2020.
• Indivisible Project (Indivisible). Indivisible is a left-leaning advocacy group created to oppose the agenda of President Trump. It reported revenue of $14.6 million for 2019.
• People’s Action. People’s Action is a left-leaning advocacy group affiliated with the People’s Action Institute. The Democracy Alliance network of wealthy lefty donors listed People’s Action as a “recommended” recipient of funding and described it as a “network of grassroots organizations with a fierce reputation for direct action.” People’s Action Institute reported raising almost $15.4 million in 2018 and spending $3.1 million during 2018.
• Public Citizen. Public Citizen is a political advocacy nonprofit founded by left-wing activist Ralph Nader. It promotes a wide variety of left-leaning causes such as the Green New Deal. Public Citizen raised more than $8.3 million for the year ending September 2020. An affiliated educational nonprofit, the Public Citizen Foundation, reported raising $15.9 million during the same period.
• org. 350.org is a left-wing climate alarmist group that promotes the Green New Deal and opposes the creation of most forms of power generation currently in use, including zero-carbon nuclear power. 350.org reported spending more than $25.2 million in 2019.
• Friends of the Earth. Friends of the Earth is also a left-wing climate alarmist group that promotes the Green New Deal and opposes zero-carbon nuclear power. The group reported revenue of nearly $12 million for the year ending June 2019.
• Food and Water Watch. Food and Water Watch is another left-wing climate alarmist group that promotes the Green New Deal and opposes zero-carbon nuclear power. The group reported raising and spending $17.9 million in 2019.
• Sunrise Movement. Sunrise is a climate alarmist advocacy nonprofit and the primary promoter of the Green New Deal. Sunrise also opposes zero-carbon nuclear energy. Sunrise reported $3.8 million in revenue for 2019. An affiliated education nonprofit, the Sunrise Movement Education Fund, reported total revenue of more than $4.2 million for 2019.
• Color of Change. Color of Change advocates left-leaning public policies on many fronts. The group reported spending more than $5.7 million in 2019. It is affiliated with the Color of Change Education Fund, an educational nonprofit that reported spending $15.4 million in 2019.
• MoveOn Civic Action (MoveOn.org). MoveOn is an advocacy nonprofit that partners with other groups to promote left-leaning political causes. MoveOn reported spending $11.1 million in 2019. The org Political Action, a political action committee, reported raising more than $49.8 million during the 2020 election cycle and spending $43.7 million.
• Make the Road New York (MRNY). MRNY is an education nonprofit that has organized demonstrators to promote several left-leaning causes. The group reported raising more than $24.9 million in 2019.
• Be a Hero Fund. Be a Hero is a left-leaning advocacy nonprofit that has also opposed Republican Supreme Court nominees and the reelection of Republican senators. The Be a Hero political action committee (PAC) reported raising more than $11 million during the 2020 election cycle.
• Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES). RAICES is a pro bono immigration legal services nonprofit. From 2017 through 2019 it reported raising a combined total of $106 million and spending less than half of it. The group has been growing very quickly and did not report raising more than $1 million in any single year until 2013.
• National Immigration Law Center. This legal advocacy nonprofit has also promoted driver licenses and a path to citizenship for non-legal residents living in the United States. The Law Center reported revenue of $17.9 million for 2020.
• CASA de Maryland (also called CASA). CASA is an education nonprofit that advocates for left-leaning immigration policies. CASA reported $19.6 million in revenue for the year ending June 2020.
• United We Dream. United We Dream is an educational nonprofit that provides information for undocumented residents who wish to remain in the United States. The group reported $9.1 million in revenue for 2019.
• National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR). NCLR is a nonprofit that provides legal services for LGBT causes and clients. For the year ending June 2020 it reported revenue of more than $6.2 million.
• Justice Democrats. Justice Democrats is a political action committee that supports the election of Democratic candidates who will move the party further to the left. Justice Democrats promoted the 2018 primary victory of socialist Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) over an incumbent Democratic congressman. The political committee reported revenue of almost $6.3 million during the 2020 election cycle.
• Justice and Witness Ministries of the United Church of Christ. This group is the left-leaning public policy outreach of the United Church of Christ (UCC), the central office representing the local congregations of a Protestant Christian denomination. The UCC’s 2019 financial statement reported total expenses of nearly $28 million and net assets of $401.8 million.
• Union for Reform Judaism. This group is the organization representing the Reform Judaism movement in the United States and its congregations. The group’s 2020 financial statement reported total expenses of $57.6 million and net assets of $181.6 million.
• Working Families Party (WFP). The WFP is an influential left-leaning political party in New York City and surrounding areas (such as Connecticut). It is affiliated with the Working Families Organization, an advocacy nonprofit that reported revenue of $10.6 million in 2019.
• Daily Kos. Daily Kos is a for-profit political news and opinion website catering to Democrats and left-leaning causes. It has represented itself as influential enough to raise millions of dollars to elect Democratic candidates.

Dozens of smaller political and nonprofit groups were also listed as supporters for at least one of the Medicare for All proposals sponsored by Sen. Sanders and Rep. Jayapal, including:

• Americans for Democratic Action
• American Medical Student Association
• American Sustainable Business Council
• Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, AFL-CIO (APALA)
• Center for Health and Democracy
• Coalition of Labor Union Women
• Demand Progress Action (PAC)
• Democracy for America
• Democratic Socialists of America (DSA)
• Equality Federation
• Health Care for All
• Healthcare-NOW
• Labor Campaign for Single Payer
• League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)
• Michigan United
• MPower Change
• NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice
• One Fair Wage
• Other 98%
• Our Revolution
• Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP)
• Progressive Change Campaign Committee
• Progressive Democrats of America
• Social Security Works
• UltraViolet Action
• United Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers of America
• Women’s March

In the next installment, Big Labor is also on Medicare for All bandwagon.