Insurers Spend $585M to Scuttle Meaningful Health Care Reform

September 18, 2009

Health insurance companies and HMOs spent $585,725,712 over the past two and a half years to scuttle meaningful health care reform, according to the nonpartisan group Public Campaign Action Fund. Earlier this year The Washington Post reported that the health care industry as a whole is spending heavily this year to influence the health care reform debate – to the tune of $1.4 million a day.

“These highly profitable corporations are spending millions every month to protect their bottom line by fighting health care reform in Washington, D.C.,” said David Donnelly of Public Campaign Action Fund. “To put it starkly, they have invested heavily in insider lobbyists and politicians to maintain their bottom line, leaving Americans out in the cold and stuck with our broken health care system.”

There are 875 registered lobbyists representing the insurance interests in Washington, DC, and 920 registered lobbyists representing HMOs, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.