The country's largest doctors' group and one of the nation's biggest pharmaceutical companies reported spending more money than other health care organizations on lobbying in the second quarter of this year.
With the fight over President Barack Obama's effort to revamp the nation's health care system escalating, the American Medical Association said it spent $4 million in April, May and June, according to reports to Congress due Monday. Eli Lilly, the Indianapolis-based producer of numerous drugs, ranked second in the health care sector at $3.6 million.
In reports filed by 5 p.m. Monday afternoon, 15 health-related associations and companies had reported spending at least $1 million each lobbying during the quarter.
The stakes are huge for the health industry. Congressional Democrats are pushing legislation that could cost roughly $1 trillion over the coming decade, paid for in part by cuts in federal health care programs such as Medicare. Lobbyists have been flooding Capitol Hill for months, and many interest groups have already invested millions of dollars in ad campaigns favoring or opposing various portions of the emerging bills.
Millions spent so far this year
According to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, the health sector reported spending $127 million in lobbying during the first three months of this year, more than any other area.
It can take many days for all the reports to be filed. In the second quarter of 2008, 28 health care concerns reported spending at least $1 million lobbying.
Though second-quarter activity by health organizations was intense, three non-health groups reported spending even more on lobbying a range of issues that included health. A pair of business groups — the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Business Roundtable — reported spending $7.4 million and $6.1 million respectively lobbying all issues in the second quarter. The AARP, representing the nation's elderly, reported $5.3 million in overall lobbying expenditures for the three months.
Including its latest report, the AMA has now spent $8.2 million lobbying so far this year. Eli Lilly has reported $7 million in lobbying expenses for 2009.
Other top lobbying spenders among health organizations for this year's second quarter included Glaxosmithkline, $2.3 million; Bayer Corp., $1.9 million; America's Health Insurance Plans, representing the health insurance industry, $1.9 million; Novartis, $1.8 million; and Metlife Group Inc., $1.7 million.
Also, Sanofi-Aventis U.S. Inc. reported spending $1.6 million in the second quarter; Johnson & Johnson Services Inc. $1.6 million; Allstate Insurance Co. $1.5 million; Merck & Co. Inc. $1.5 million; New York Life Insurance Co. $1.5 million; F. Hoffman-La Roche Ltd. and its affiliates $1.5 million; the American College of Radiology Association $1.2 million; and Siemens Corp. $1 million.