Open AccessHealth Spending and Political Influence
Author(s) -
Jonathon P. Leider,
Greg Tung,
Brian C. Castrucci,
James B. Sprague
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of public health management and practice
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.771
H-Index - 50
eISSN - 1550-5022
pISSN - 1078-4659
DOI - 10.1097/phh.0000000000000116
Subject(s) - odds , poverty level , poverty , public health , health care , politics , environmental health , health policy , political science , business , medicine , nursing , logistic regression , law
Earmarks, otherwise known as Congressionally directed spending requests, are a historically significant means of political influence over budgets. In this brief, we report on the results of a longitudinal study of federal earmarks affecting health care facilities and public health. We analyzed 10 years of earmark for health care facilities and examined the correlates of being in the top 50% of earmark recipients for each year. Having representatives or senators serving on the respective Appropriations committees were shown to have increased odds of being a top earmark recipient, as was being in jurisdictions with greater poverty. However, health-related measures of need were not significantly associated with being a top earmark recipient.