Subject: [big campaign] Top insurers and AHIP lobbying spending picks up
From: David Donnelly <[email-masked]>
To: "[email-masked]" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 02 Nov 2009 09:57:21 -0400
List-Id: <bigcampaign.googlegroups.com>

Release on insurance industry lobbying this morning (sorry for formatting
issues below ‹ see doc if you need something you can read!

David

 
For immediate release:            For more information:
Monday, November 2, 2009            Adam Smith, 202-997-8929

Largest 13 Health Insurers and Trade Association Spent More Than
$2.7 Million Per Month Lobbying During 3rd Quarter
 
Top insurance companies and AHIP increase spending as debate heats up
 
Washington, D.C.‹ The lobbying expenses of the top 13 health insurers and
their industry association, America¹s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), spent
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.
 
³Congress is marching toward pass landmark legislation to overhaul the
health care system and the health insurance industry fighting them every
step of the way,² said David Donnelly, national campaigns director of Public
Campaign Action Fund. ³These insurance giants may be running out of time,
but clearly they haven¹t run out of political cash.²
 
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 insurers¹ trade association, has spent more than $6
million this year. The analysis reviewed data for the top insurance
companies as identified by Fortune magazine¹s rankings.

  Corporation/Association   Lobbying Q1-Q2 2009   Lobbying 3Q 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
 
³These 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,² said Donnelly.  ³It¹s time to sever the ties between
special interest money and our elected officials. It¹s time to pass the Fair
Elections Now Act.²
 
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