Eight Lobbyists for Each Member of Congress in Washington

Just in time for this Thursday’s “health summit,” called by Barack Obama in an effort to save his health care reform plans, comes a new study from the Center for Public Integrity: There are currently no less than 4,525 lobbyists trying to influence health care reform legislation, meaning that for each elected representative in the American Congress, there are eight lobbyists.

Businesses and organizations (hospitals, insurance companies, pharmaceutical labs, doctor’s associations, etc.) trying to affect health care legislation spent over $1.2 billion on lobbying last year. “It was money well spent” notes the Center for Public Integrity, whose report presents several examples of the lobbyists’ successful campaigns, including the elimination of a provision for a new public health care plan as well as numerous propositions to save money. The American Medical Association (AMA) spent $20 million last year to lobby congress on behalf of doctors. The association successfully struck from the bill a $300 annual tax that would be paid by doctors who care for those insured by Medicare or Medicaid (public insurance programs for the elderly and the indigent) and a provision to tax plastic surgery.

The Center for Public Integrity emphasized that lobbyists will not be directly inside the Blair House room this Thursday when Barack Obama will again try to win Democrats and Republicans over to his plan for reform. They will, however, be very nearby. Some will be right on the other side of the door, while others will be in front of their television screens, making sure their arguments are being taken into account and devising how they’ll regain control that very night. Thanks to the valuable work done by the Center for Public Integrity and its colleagues at the Center for Responsive Politics, anyone who so desires can become well informed of the handiwork of these lobbyists, the money they spend, and the politicians they spend it on…which does nothing to prevent them from continuing “with full transparency” to persuade, undermine and often even corrupt elected representatives.