Health Plan Payments to Lobbyists Soared in 2007, Could Grow More in 2008

[RedEarth]

By Steve Davis
Managing Editor
[e-mail]

AIS’s Health Business Daily
Featured Story April 11, 2008
Reprinted from HEALTH PLAN WEEK, the industry’s leading source of business, financial and regulatory news of health plans, PPOs and POS plans.

Health insurers collectively paid more money to lobbyists in 2007 than they did a year earlier, according to disclosure forms made available last month by the U.S. Senate’s public records office (see table, below). Much of that money was spent to lobby lawmakers on issues related to Medicare Advantage (MA) and the reauthorization of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). With both issues still unresolved — combined with the threat of health care reform under a potential Democratic president - industry observers say lobbyists might see even heftier paychecks this year from their health insurance clients.

http://www.pnhp.org/news/2008/april/health_plan_payments.php