UnitedHealth Group spent $1M lobbying in 2Q

WASHINGTON_UnitedHealth Group Inc. spent $1 million lobbying the federal government in the second quarter, a total that included $230,000 paid to firms that lobbied for the managed care company on health care reform, according to recent disclosure reports.

The Minnetonka, Minn.-based insurer paid Ogilvy Government Relations; Elmendorf Strategies LLC; and Fierce, Isakowitz & Blalock to lobby as Congressional committees worked on legislation to overhaul the nation's health care system by covering the uninsured and trimming expenses.

UnitedHealth paid Ogilvy $80,000, Elmendorf $90,000 and Fierce $60,000, according to disclosure reports filed last month with the House clerk's office.

UnitedHealth lobbied on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the Health Care Safety Net Act, Medicare Advantage and children's health insurance, among other topics.

Besides Congress, the insurer lobbied the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Congressional Budget Office, Department of Health and Human Services, the White House and Treasury Department.

Among those lobbying for UnitedHealth were: Joelle Thornhill, a former staff member of the House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee; Cory Alexander, a former special assistant to the White House North American Free Trade Agreement counselor and former employee of the office of the Democratic Whip and Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md.; and Sohini Gupta Jindal, a former staffer for Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind.

UnitedHealth's spending total represents a 20 percent drop from the same quarter last year, when it spent nearly $1.3 million.