Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • ESG: THE IMPLEMENTATION IMPERATIVE
Subscribe
  • Sign Up Free
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Current News
    • Providers
    • Insurance
    • Digital Health
    • Government
    • Finance
    • Technology
    • Safety & Quality
    • Transformation
    • People
    • Regional News
    • Digital Edition (Web Version)
    • Patients
    • Operations
    • Care Delivery
    • Payment
    • Midwest
    • Northeast
    • South
    • West
  • Unwell in America
  • Opinion
    • Bold Moves
    • Breaking Bias
    • Commentaries
    • Letters
    • Vital Signs Blog
    • From the Editor
  • Events & Awards
    • Awards
    • Conferences
    • Galas
    • Virtual Briefings
    • Webinars
    • Nominate/Eligibility
    • 100 Most Influential People
    • 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
    • Best Places to Work in Healthcare
    • Excellence in Governance
    • Health Care Hall of Fame
    • Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards
    • Top 25 Emerging Leaders
    • Top 25 Innovators
    • Diversity in Healthcare
      • - Luminaries
      • - Top 25 Diversity Leaders
      • - Leaders to Watch
    • Women in Healthcare
      • - Luminaries
      • - Top 25 Women Leaders
      • - Women to Watch
    • Digital Health Transformation Summit
    • ESG: The Implementation Imperative Summit
    • Leadership Symposium
    • Social Determinants of Health Symposium
    • Women Leaders in Healthcare Conference
    • Best Places to Work Awards Gala
    • Health Care Hall of Fame Gala
    • Top 25 Diversity Leaders Gala
    • Top 25 Women Leaders Gala
    • - Hospital of the Future
    • - Value Based Care
    • - Hospital at Home
    • - Workplace of the Future
    • - Digital Health
    • - Future of Staffing
    • - Hospital of the Future (Fall)
  • Multimedia
    • Podcast - Beyond the Byline
    • Sponsored Podcast - Healthcare Insider
    • Video Series - The Check Up
    • Sponsored Video Series - One on One
  • Data Center
    • Data Center Home
    • Hospital Financials
    • Staffing & Compensation
    • Quality & Safety
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Data Archive
    • Resource Guide: By the Numbers
    • Surveys
    • Data Points
  • MORE+
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Media Kit
    • Newsletters
    • Jobs
    • People on the Move
    • Reprints & Licensing
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. Politics & Policy
July 21, 2020 02:51 PM

Healthcare lobbying plummets, except from private equity-backed staffing firms

Rachel Cohrs
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Reprints Print
    Modern Healthcare Illustration / Getty Images

    While healthcare industry lobbying dipped in the second quarter of 2020, private equity-backed physician staffing firms beefed up their work on Capitol Hill.

    Envision Healthcare and TeamHealth were the two largest backers of a dark-money group that blanketed airwaves with ads opposing benchmarking policies to protect patients from surprise medical bills. Despite cutting physicians' hours due to the COVID-19 pandemic, both increased their lobbying spending last quarter.

    Envision Healthcare, a physician staffing firm owned by private-equity giant Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co., was reportedly contemplating filing bankruptcy in April as volumes dropped. Envision spent $400,000 on lobbying in the second quarter of 2020, according to federal filings. That's a 264% increase from the first quarter of 2020, and a 400% increase from the same time period last year.

    TeamHealth and Envision have also faced scrutiny for spending millions of dollars on television ads during the pandemic, as reported by ProPublica.

    TeamHealth, which is owned by the private-equity firm Blackstone Group, also spent $400,000 on lobbying in the second quarter of 2020, which is a 14% increase from the first quarter of 2020 and a 1,233% increase compared with the same period in 2019.

    Both Envision and TeamHealth declined to comment on their lobbying expenditures.

    Insurers, which are on the other side of staffing firms' balance billing fight, generally reduced their lobbying spending this quarter. America's Health Insurance Plans, which represents insurers, spent $2.3 million in the second quarter of 2020. But that's a 38% decrease from the first quarter of 2020 and roughly the same as AHIP spent in the same period in 2019.

    Broad legislation to end surprise medical bills has loomed over COVID-19 relief negotiations, but lawmakers have left out legislation providers oppose from several major relief packages. Now, Congress is negotiating what will likely be the last major legislative package before the 2020 election, and it appears unlikely any sweeping fix will be included.

    Across much of the rest of the healthcare industry, lobbying spending fell in the second quarter. The drop was especially pronounced among healthcare associations, many of which have taken revenue hits as in-person events and conferences have been canceled.

    The American Hospital Association spent 28% less in the second quarter of 2020 than the first, AHIP spent 38% less, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America spent 40% less, America's Essential Hospitals spent 43% less, and the American Medical Association spent 42% less in the same time frame. Spending by the Federation of American Hospitals stayed stable in the first two quarters of 2020. The Association of American Medical Colleges, however, boosted its lobbying spending by 34% to $1.3 million.

    American Society of Association Executives Director of Public Policy Chris Vest said the general decline in associations' revenue certainly could be related to decreased advocacy spending.

    Vest said he couldn't make a direct connection, but the downward trend in association lobbying spending "totally tracks and makes sense with revenue challenges that associations are seeing across the board."

    ASAE is pushing for trade associations to be made eligible for forgivable small-business loans under the Paycheck Protection Program.

    Though large insurers have been largely insulated COVID-19's financial turmoil, many of them decreased their lobbying spending this quarter. The exception was Humana, which increased its spending nearly 200% in the second quarter of 2020 compared with the first.

    Lobbying has also looked much different since March, as lobbyists have had restricted access to the Capitol. A spokesperson for the U.S. Capitol Police said lobbyists are allowed to be escorted into the Capitol building if they have an official appointment, but offices have discretion about their appointment policies.

    The disclosure figures in this article are current through Tuesday morning. Second quarter reports were due Monday, but some reports are filed late.

    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Send us a letter

    Have an opinion about this story? Click here to submit a Letter to the Editor, and we may publish it in print.

    Recommended for You
    Copy of Becerra2_Getty_fullsize_WEB_i.jpg
    HHS Secretary Becerra aims to keep 'pushing the envelope'
    tennessee trans care medicaid
    Tennessee transgender bill threatens to upend Medicaid contracts
    Most Popular
    1
    More healthcare organizations at risk of credit default, Moody's says
    2
    Centene fills out senior executive team with new president, COO
    3
    SCAN, CareOregon plan to merge into the HealthRight Group
    4
    Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan unveils big push that lets physicians take on risk, reap rewards
    5
    Bright Health weighs reverse stock split as delisting looms
    Sponsored Content
    Modern Healthcare Alert: Sign up for this breaking news email to be kept in the loop as urgent healthcare business news unfolds.
    Get Newsletters

    Sign up for enewsletters and alerts to receive breaking news and in-depth coverage of healthcare events and trends, as they happen, right to your inbox.

    Subscribe Today
    MH Magazine Cover

    MH magazine offers content that sheds light on healthcare leaders’ complex choices and touch points—from strategy, governance, leadership development and finance to operations, clinical care, and marketing.

    Subscribe
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS

    Our Mission

    Modern Healthcare empowers industry leaders to succeed by providing unbiased reporting of the news, insights, analysis and data.

    Contact Us

    (877) 812-1581

    Email us

     

    Resources
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise with Us
    • Ad Choices Ad Choices
    • Sitemap
    Editorial Dept
    • Submission Guidelines
    • Code of Ethics
    • Awards
    • About Us
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Modern Healthcare
    Copyright © 1996-2023. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • Current News
      • Providers
      • Insurance
      • Digital Health
      • Government
      • Finance
      • Technology
      • Safety & Quality
      • Transformation
        • Patients
        • Operations
        • Care Delivery
        • Payment
      • People
      • Regional News
        • Midwest
        • Northeast
        • South
        • West
      • Digital Edition (Web Version)
    • Unwell in America
    • Opinion
      • Bold Moves
      • Breaking Bias
      • Commentaries
      • Letters
      • Vital Signs Blog
      • From the Editor
    • Events & Awards
      • Awards
        • Nominate/Eligibility
        • 100 Most Influential People
        • 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
        • Best Places to Work in Healthcare
        • Excellence in Governance
        • Health Care Hall of Fame
        • Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards
        • Top 25 Emerging Leaders
        • Top 25 Innovators
        • Diversity in Healthcare
          • - Luminaries
          • - Top 25 Diversity Leaders
          • - Leaders to Watch
        • Women in Healthcare
          • - Luminaries
          • - Top 25 Women Leaders
          • - Women to Watch
      • Conferences
        • Digital Health Transformation Summit
        • ESG: The Implementation Imperative Summit
        • Leadership Symposium
        • Social Determinants of Health Symposium
        • Women Leaders in Healthcare Conference
      • Galas
        • Best Places to Work Awards Gala
        • Health Care Hall of Fame Gala
        • Top 25 Diversity Leaders Gala
        • Top 25 Women Leaders Gala
      • Virtual Briefings
        • - Hospital of the Future
        • - Value Based Care
        • - Hospital at Home
        • - Workplace of the Future
        • - Digital Health
        • - Future of Staffing
        • - Hospital of the Future (Fall)
      • Webinars
    • Multimedia
      • Podcast - Beyond the Byline
      • Sponsored Podcast - Healthcare Insider
      • Video Series - The Check Up
      • Sponsored Video Series - One on One
    • Data Center
      • Data Center Home
      • Hospital Financials
      • Staffing & Compensation
      • Quality & Safety
      • Mergers & Acquisitions
      • Data Archive
      • Resource Guide: By the Numbers
      • Surveys
      • Data Points
    • MORE+
      • Contact Us
      • Advertise
      • Media Kit
      • Newsletters
      • Jobs
      • People on the Move
      • Reprints & Licensing