Calif. Organizations Spent $14.7M on Health Care Lobbying in Q2 2015
Spending on health care-related lobbying efforts in California increased by nearly 45% in the second quarter of 2015, compared with the same period last year, according to data from the California secretary of state, the Sacramento Business Journal reports.
Details of Spending
According to the data, organizations spent about $14.7 million on health care lobbying efforts during Q2 2015, up from about $10.1 million in Q2 2014.
According to the secretary of state, the increase in spending was due in large part to concerns over:
- Funding for Medi-Cal, the state's Medicaid program; and
- A bill (SB 277) ending personal belief exemptions to the state's childhood vaccination requirements (Robertson, Sacramento Business Journal, 8/3).
Spending on overall lobbying efforts was led by groups representing:
- Hospitals;
- Oil companies; and
- Service employees (White, "Capitol Alert," Sacramento Bee, 8/3).
Among health care organizations, the largest spender in Q2 2015 was the California Hospital Association, with about $6 million, up from $755,237 in Q2 2014.
CHA spokesperson Jan Emerson-Shea said that $4.6 million of the organization's spending went toward a campaign to persuade state officials to boost Medi-Cal rates.
Meanwhile, the data show that the other top health care-related spenders in Q2 2015 were:
- Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, with $638,195;
- The California Medical Association, with $500,602; and
- The California Association of Health Plans, with $262,889.
According to the Business Journal, spending likely will remain high as:
- Lawmakers return from their legislative recess on Aug. 17; and
- Opponents of SB 277 plan a ballot referendum on the law and a recall effort against its author, state Sen. Richard Pan (D-Sacramento) (Sacramento Business Journal, 8/3).