June 20, 2026

Dark money is writing your health care laws

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Patients are being cut off from medications they need, doctors are afraid to prescribe, and the reason traces back to political donations most Americans never see. Richard A. Lawhern, health care educator and patient advocate, joins us to explain how lobbying money shapes health care legislation and what patients can do about it. This episode is based on his article "Health care lobbying is destroying the U.S. system," published on KevinMD. You will hear why $4.5 billion was spent influencing the 2024 election, how undisclosed donors block reforms like single payer, and why nearly a quarter of every health care dollar goes to administrative costs that do nothing for patients. Richard explains how the National Campaign to Protect People in Pain trains advocates to reach committee staffers and shift the political calculus. Press play to hear how the system actually works and where ordinary advocates can apply pressure.

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