Hospital Association, Health Pros Give $34 Million to Federal Candidates

With more than one-third of hospitals in the red, the American Hospital Association is again the top contributor to federal candidates and parties among healthcare organizations, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

The AHA’s members have given more than $971,000 to federal candidates and parties through political action committees (PACs) through March 3 for the 2008 election cycle. Health professionals, meanwhile, rank fifth among total campaign giving when compared with more than 80 other industries, giving $34.4 million to lawmakers through that time, the Center found.

Democrats were the primary recipients of the AHA’s giving, receiving 61 percent of the contributions. That’s likely because the party and its two presidential candidates have proposed some form of universal health care coverage, which healthcare professionals say is the best solution for curtailing the ballooning bad debt expense that is pushing more hospitals into the red.

Although industry analysts say Senator Hilary Clinton’s health care plan would cover more Americans, giving by AHA’s PACS to Illinois Senator Barack Obama topped Clinton $7,550 to $6,600. Ironically, the top Democrat recipient of AHA PAC donations was Pennsylvania Congressman Jason Altmire, a first term congressman who sits on the Committee for Education and Labor. He received $15,500 during that period. Prior to serving in Congress, Altmire was an executive with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

The AHA’s primary focus is lobbying against reductions in Medicare and Medicaid payments. It also is pressing Congress for job programs to train nurses, according to the Center, a non-partisan research group based in Washington, D.C.

The AHA held its annual membership meeting in Washington last week (“Hospital Debt Tops Agenda as Hospital Association Visits Capitol Hill,” Apr. 9) Legislation to delay certain changes in that and other new Medicaid rules set to take effect this summer began moving through the House last week.