Drug Industry Ups the Lobbying Ante on Health Care

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Drug Industry Lobbying Efforts, Campaign Funds Tilt Toward Democrats
By Bennett Roth, CQ Staff


The pharmaceutical industry, which has long invested heavily in federal lobbying, is now on course to smash its previous records as it tries to shape the health care overhaul pushed forward by Democrats.

The industry is increasingly employing Democratic lobbyists with ties to the Obama administration and congressional leaders such as Sen. Max Baucus , D-Mont., chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. A few years ago, when Republicans controlled Congress and the White House, industry representatives were solidly allied with the GOP.

Such efforts might be having an effect. The drug industry sealed a deal recently with Baucus to offer $80 billion in drug discounts for seniors as part of Medicare. The agreement might preempt efforts by liberal Democrats to seek even deeper concessions from the drug industry. The drug companies have opposed a government health insurance component that President Obama and more liberal Democrats are seeking, a provision that could lead to more control over drug prices.

Robert Blendon, professor of health policy and political analysis at Harvard University, said that drug companies have been “smart and savvy” in their dealings with Congress.

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