Health Insurers Are Paying Third Way as It Targets the Left

A health insurance industry group with ties to Republican consultants has made its only disclosed donation in 2024 to the centrist Democratic organization Third Way, according to recent tax filings.

Third Way, which has launched a $15 million campaign to counter the influence of progressive factions within the Democratic Party, has received financial support from healthcare industry interests that have long opposed key left-wing priorities, including Medicare for All.

The group, which does not publicly disclose its funders, recently informed the New York Times that its campaign aims to push back against progressive Democrats, particularly those aligned with democratic socialism. Jonathan Cowan, Third Way’s president, stated that the organization is “preparing for war” against candidates who support policies such as Medicare for All. This declaration followed the victory of Dr. Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary last week, where he campaigned on Medicare for All as a central issue for nearly a decade. Third Way has indicated it intends to target El-Sayed as part of its efforts, criticizing his alignment with democratic socialists.

One of the newly identified donors to Third Way is Better Solutions for Healthcare (BSFH), a coalition that includes major health insurance entities such as AHIP, BlueCross BlueShield, and other insurance trade groups. According to its most recent tax filing, BSFH contributed $50,000 to Third Way’s advocacy arm in 2024, marking its only disclosed donation for the year.

BSFH operates out of the offices of Targeted Victory, a leading Republican digital strategy firm based in Arlington, Virginia. The group was established by Alexander Schriver, a Republican operative and former head of public affairs at Targeted Victory, who also previously served as BSFH’s executive director. In recent years, BSFH has paid millions to Targeted Victory for advertising services. Schriver left his position at Targeted Victory in 2023 to become senior vice president of public affairs at PhRMA, the pharmaceutical industry’s top lobbying group, which has been actively involved in opposing Medicare for All. BSFH is currently led by Connie Partoyan, president of Targeted Victory and a former Republican staffer.

In July 2024, Third Way led a coalition letter endorsing one of BSFH’s key legislative priorities: a bill aimed at expanding site-neutral payment policies for clinics. Third Way has consistently opposed single-payer healthcare proposals like Medicare for All and earlier this year unveiled plans to encourage Democratic presidential candidates to reject such systems in favor of its own set of centrist health policies, which include site-neutral payment reforms.

A review of disclosure records by Sludge indicates that other major health insurance companies, pharmaceutical firms, and insurance industry lobbying groups have also contributed to Third Way.

Third Way did not respond to requests for comment. Representatives for BSFH, Targeted Victory, and PhRMA also did not provide statements in response to inquiries.