Health Care Groups Lobby At Record Pace; $130M Spent On Television Ads This Year

WASHINGTON -- The drug and insurance industries have dramatically amped up their efforts to lobby Congress, spending millions over a three-month period to influence legislation aimed at reshaping the nation's health care system, new reports show.

The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America reported nearly $7 million in lobbying expenses from July through September. Overall, the group has spent nearly as much during the first nine months of 2009 as it did during the entire previous year.

Individual drug companies also have sharply increased lobbying. Pfizer, for instance, has spent more than $17 million in lobbying during the first nine months of this year, nearly twice its lobbying budget during the same period in 2008. Pfizer spokeswoman Kristen Neese said the spending reflects a commitment to "making our voice heard."

America's Health Insurance Plans, an association of insurance companies now battling with President Obama over the final shape of health care legislation, racked up $6.3 million in lobbying expenses this year -- $1 million more than the same period in 2008, according to lobbying reports filed with Congress and data compiled by the non-partisan CQ MoneyLine.

The insurance industry opposes efforts to create a government-run insurance plan to compete with private companies and leveled attacks against a bill approved last week by a key Senate committee.

The pace of spending means health care lobbying is likely to set records this year, said Dave Levinthal of the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks money in politics. Last year, the industry spent more than $485 million on lobbying, according to the center's data. "In terms of lobbying, drug and insurance companies have the loudest voice, and they have the deepest pockets," Levinthal said. "It remains to be seen what the effect of this unprecedented lobbying will have."

The lobbying frenzy comes amid heavy advertising -- much of it targeting lawmakers in their home states. Groups have spent $130 million on TV ads this year, said Evan Tracey, of the Campaign Media Analysis Group.

That's nearly twice the $70 million Obama spent on TV ads to win his party's presidential nomination in 2008.

Health care groups said they would continue to push their cause as lawmakers work to meld five competing health bills.

"We're now at a critical moment in this debate," said Robert Zirkelbach, a spokesman for the health insurance trade group. Insurers, he said, will "continue to talk to the American people about what these reforms mean to them and what it will take to achieve bipartisan, comprehensive health care reform."

Ken Johnson, a senior vice president for the drug industry's chief lobbying group, said the association shifted more of its budget to health care lobbying this year "to do everything we can to make health care reform a reality." The group has backed Democratic efforts to revamp health care and agreed to cut $80 billion in drug costs over a decade under a deal with the White House.

"Financially, we are totally outgunned," said Ron Pollack, executive director of Families USA, which supports changing the health care system. Consumer-advocacy groups "are holding our own" because lawmakers "are well aware that consumer interests have broad support," he said.