Largest 13 Health Insurers and Trade Association Spent More Than $2.7 Million Per Month Lobbying During 3rd Quarter

Largest 13 Health Insurers and Trade Association Spent More Than $2.7 Million
Per Month Lobbying During 3rd Quarter

Top insurance companies and AHIP increase spending as debate heats up

WASHINGTON, Nov. 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The lobbying expenses of the top
13 health insurers and their industry association, America's Health Insurance
Plans (AHIP), spent nearly $8.2 million in the third quarter of 2009 to
influence Congress on upcoming health care legislation, according to analysis
released today by the nonpartisan campaign finance watchdog Public Campaign
Action Fund (PCAF). The total marks an 11 percent increase over the pace of
their spending in the first half of the year.

"Congress is marching toward passing landmark legislation to overhaul the
health care system, and the health insurance industry is fighting them every
step of the way," said David Donnelly, national campaigns director of Public
Campaign Action Fund. "These insurance giants may be running out of time, but
clearly they haven't run out of political cash."

According to PCAF analysis, which was based on figures compiled by the Center
for Responsive Politics, these top insurers and AHIP have spent $22,957,382 to
lobby Congress and the Administration from January through September. AHIP,
the insurers' trade association, has spent more than $6 million this year. The
analysis reviewed data for the top insurance companies as identified by
Fortune magazine's rankings.

Corporation/Association Lobbying Lobbying Total
Q1-Q2 3Q 2009
2009
Aetna Inc. $1,441,639 $580,743 $2,022,382
AHIP $3,900,000 $2,410,000 $6,310,000
Amerigroup Corp. $215,000 $160,000 $385,000
Centene Corp. $230,000 $130,000 $260,000
Cigna Corp. $720,000 $260,000 $980,000
Coventry Health Care $300,000 $150,000 $450,000
Health Net Inc. $680,000 $330,000 $1,010,000
Healthspring $90,000 $60,000 $150,000
Humana Inc. $950,000 $900,000 $1,850,000
Molina Healthcare $270,000 $140,000 $410,000
UnitedHealth Group $2,500,000 $1,010,000 $3,510,000
Universal American
Financial $865,000 $895,000 $1,760,000
WellCare Group $200,000 $70,000 $270,000
Wellpoint $2,420,000 $1,080,000 $3,500,000
Total $14,781,639 $8,175,743 22,957,382

"These insurance industries have invested heavily in expensive lobbyists and
campaign contributions to make sure their needs are met while the rest of us
are stuck with a broken health care system and little way to have our voices
heard in Washington," said Donnelly. "It's time to sever the ties between
special interest money and our elected officials. It's time to pass the Fair
Elections Now Act."

SOURCE Public Campaign Action Fund

Adam Smith of PCAF, +1-202-997-8929