As the major roll out period of the Affordable Care Act comes to a close, healthcare lobby spending was on pace for its fifth consecutive year of declines after peaking at $554 million in 2009. This is according to a Morning Consult analysis of Center for Responsive Politics data.
Healthcare Lobbying Spending is Down
According to the analysis, lobbying spending has been down across the board over the last five years. But it may come as a surprise that healthcare lobbying spending is also down, as this covers the implementation and roll out of the Affordable Care Act -- considered the most significant piece of health legislation in decades.
Total spending by companies in the pharmaceutical, hospital, health professional, and HMO industries came in at $128,758,996 for the first quarter of 2014. The report notes that health sector lobby spending is likely to decrease in subsequent quarters, as the first quarter of the year has historically been the highest spending.
According to the analysis, more than half of the healthcare lobbying dollars ($6.4 million) spent in the first quarter of 2014 came from the pharmaceutical industry. Hospitals and health professionals each spent close to $22 million, while HMOs and other health service agencies dropped $16.7 million.
5 of the Top 20 Lobbyist from Healthcare Industry
The healthcare industry had five companies in the top 20 overall lobbying spenders for the first quarter of 2014. The top healthcare lobbying spenders were: the American Medical Association, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Pharmaceutical Research & Manufacturers of America, American Hospital Association, and Pfizer.
What stands out to you about the state of healthcare lobbying?
Click here to read the full analysis by Morning Consult.
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