SIX health care lobbyists for every member of Congress -

[debbierlus]

It seems everyone wants their opinions on health care reform to be heard, judging by the crowds of people attending town hall forums across the country, but will the investment of money and manpower that lobbying firms are devoting to making themselves heard by Congress drown out the general public?

For every lawmaker on Capitol Hill, there are about six lobbyists pushing their health care priorities, according to a Bloomberg News investigation published today. That’s about 3,300 registered health care lobbyists working Congress, clamoring for face time with each of 100 senators and 435 Representatives.

Bloomberg also examined new lobbyist registrations since July 1, 2009 and found that approximately three lobbying organizations per day, many headquartered on Washington, D.C.’s K Street, are lining up to lobby Congress on health reform.

“I don’t have a single client who has hired me to kill health care reform,” John Jonas, a partner with the lobbying firm Patton Boggs LLP, a firm representing 33 health care clients, told Bloomberg. “Quite the opposite, they assume health care reform is going to happen and they want to be protected.”

$263 million has been spent on health lobbying in 2009, says the latest data from the Center for Responsive Politics, which is more money than has been spent on any other sector this year.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the nation’s largest business lobby, is opposing efforts to offer government-run health insurance to compete with private companies. The Chamber spent $26 million in the first six months of 2009 to lobby, making them the top spender.

The tug-of-war for influence isn’t limited to lobbying alone. Health-care advocates have spent $53 million on commercials, according to Virginia-based TNS Media Intelligence/Campaign Media Analysis, a firm that tracks advertising spending.

Aside from the risk of drowning out the public voice on health care, lobbying also “risks delaying legislation,” according to Rogan Kersh, associate dean at New York University’s Wagner School of Public Service.

http://rawstory.com/08/news/2009/08/14/report-six-health-care-lobbyists-for-every-member-of-congress/