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According to a study, pharmaceutical companies have spent more
money lobbying Congress than other health care organizations. A
slowing has been seen in lobbying by physicians, which suggests
a decline of their political influence.
Investigators found that health care lobbying expenditures totaled
$237 million in the year 2000, which was more than any other industry
including agriculture, communications and defense. These figures
were strong indicators of the impact of health care issues to varied
interest groups.
Ranking of money spent on lobbying:
- Drug companies--$96 million
- Doctors and other health care professionals--$46 million
- Hospitals and nursing homes--$40 million
- Health insurance and managed care organizations--$31 million
- Advocacy and public health organizations--$12 million
Another study showed that legislators wanted further input from
physicians regarding public health concerns and attributed their
credibility with the public as a way to offset the deep pockets
of drug companies.
The Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 requires several actions of
the lobbyist including submitting detailed biannual reports and
listing the spending amounts on lobbying activities. Experts claimed
that the Lobbying Disclosure Act could be stronger if it demanded
more in-depth reporting such as specifying the legislation discussed
and the defining the positions supported by lobbyists.
Individual Organizations with the highest lobbying expenditures:
- American Medical Association--$17 million
- American Hospital Association--$10 million
- Pharmaceutical Research & Manufacturers of America--$7
million
- Schering Corporation--$7 million
- Health Insurance Association of America--$7 million
- Blue Cross/Blue Shield--$6 million
- Eli Lilly & Company--$5 million
EurekAlert!
March 26, 2004
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