Healthcare Lobbyists Spend Millions $$$ During 3rd Quarter

Washington, D.C.- The lobbying expenses of the top 13 health insurers and their industry association, America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), were nearly $8.2 million in the third quarter of 2009 to influence Congress on upcoming health care legislation, according to analysis released today by the nonpartisan campaign finance watchdog Public Campaign Action Fund (PCAF). The total marks an 11 percent increase over the pace of their spending in the first half of the year.

"Congress is marching toward pasing landmark legislation to overhaul the health care system and the health insurance industry fighting them every step of the way," said David Donnelly, national campaigns director of Public Campaign Action Fund. "These insurance giants may be running out of time, but clearly they haven't run out of political cash."

According to PCAF analysis, which was based on figures compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics, these top insurers and AHIP have spent $22,957,382 to lobby Congress and the Administration from January through September. AHIP, the insurers' trade association, has spent more than $6 million this year. The analysis reviewed data for the top insurance companies as identified by Fortune magazine's rankings.

Corporation/Association	Lobbying Q1-Q2 2009	Lobbying Q3 2009	Total
Aetna Inc.	$1,441,639	$580,743	$2,022,382
AHIP	$3,900,000	$2,410,000	$6,310,000
Amerigroup Corp.	$215,000	$160,000	$385,000
Centene Corp.	$230,000	$130,000	$260,000
Cigna Corp.	$720,000	$260,000	$980,000
Coventry Health Care	$300,000	$150,000	$450,000
Health Net Inc.	$680,000	$330,000	$1,010,000
Healthspring	$90,000	$60,000	$150,000
Humana Inc.	$950,000	$900,000	$1,850,000
Molina Healthcare	$270,000	$140,000	$410,000
UnitedHealth Group	$2,500,000	$1,010,000	$3,510,000
Universal American Financial	$865,000	$895,000	$1,760,000
WellCare Group	$200,000	$70,000	$270,000
Wellpoint	$2,420,000	$1,080,000	$3,500,000
Total	$14,781,639	$8,175,743	$22,957,382

These insurance industries have invested heavily in expensive lobbyists and campaign contributions to make sure their needs are met while the rest of us are stuck with a broken health care system and little way to have our voices heard in Washington," said Donnelly. "It's time to sever the ties between special interest money and our elected officials. It's time to pass the Fair Elections Now Act."

via campaignmoney.org