Democracy Now: In Healthcare Reform, 8 Lobbyists for Every Member of Congress
The House vote comes ahead of today’s bipartisan healthcare summit at the White House. On the eve of the summit, new figures were released underscoring the enormity of healthcare lobbying on Capitol Hill. The Center for Public Integrity says companies and organizations seeking to influence healthcare reform legislation hired over 4,500 lobbyists—eight for every member of Congress. Healthcare lobbyists doubled throughout 2009, reaching nearly 3,700 in the fourth quarter. The group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, known as CREW, meanwhile released figures showing healthcare special interests have invested over $28 million on influential members of Congress since 2005.
