This spending is driven by large healthcare insurers and hospital systems, many of which have Medicaid contracts in Pennsylvania that are worth billions of dollars. Hospital & Health Association of Pennsylvania Table 1: Top Five Spenders on Lobbying in PA Rank in PA In fact, in 2022, healthcare related entities represented three out of the top five top spenders on lobbying in the state. Together, that’s more than the total lobbying spending on energy, the state budget, and education combined. ![]() In 2022, nearly $30 million was spent on direct healthcare lobbying, about $11 million was spent on Medicare and Medicaid, and over $13 million was spent on insurance lobbying. According to the PA Department of State, the margin spent over other sectors has only gotten larger. Healthcare has been the number one top sector in lobbying spending in Pennsylvania for at least the past 10 years. These loose lobbying regulations, combined with the unlimited spending on campaign contributions, make it easy for corporations to exert their influence over elected officials in the capital city of Harrisburg. For example, lawmakers can accept gifts worth any amount, even cash, from lobbyists as long as they disclose those gifts. Pennsylvania is one of the many states in the US with relatively loose regulations on lobbying and gifts to legislators. ![]() Corporations in the United States spend hundreds of millions of dollars every year on well connected lobbyists to influence legislation both on a federal level and in states and cities. In Pennsylvania, healthcare profiteers top the list of the most aggressive spenders on lobbying in the state. Photo by Molly Adams, Medicare for All Rally, by Flickr
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