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February 25, 2010

In Healthcare Reform, 8 Lobbyists for Every Member of Congress
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The House vote comes ahead of today’s bipartisan healthcare summit at
the White House. On the eve of the summit, new figures were released
underscoring the enormity of healthcare lobbying on Capitol Hill. The
Center for Public Integrity says companies and organizations seeking to
influence healthcare reform legislation hired over 4,500 lobbyists—eight
for every member of Congress. Healthcare lobbyists doubled throughout
2009, reaching nearly 3,700 in the fourth quarter. The group Citizens
for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, known as CREW, meanwhile
released figures showing healthcare special interests have invested over
$28 million on influential members of Congress since 2005.



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