Chart of the Week: The Top Lobbying Interests in Massachusetts
Casinos and marijuana may have topped the headlines, but regular health care insurers and providers were the biggest lobbyists on Beacon Hill in 2013, according to my review of disclosure reports with the Secretary of the Commonwealth. Seven of the 10 biggest spenders on state lobbying come from that sector.
That isn’t too surprising. As Lora Pellegrini, president and CEO of the Massachusetts Association of Health Plans points out, not only do they track a wide breadth of legislative issues, 2013 had them dealing with implementation of the 2012 payment reform law, state implementation of the federal Affordable Care Act (aka ObamaCare), and issues relating to the Health Connector.
Massachusetts Competitive Partnership, created in 2010 by a group of the state’s most powerful business leaders, has quickly moved into the top 10 Beacon Hill lobbyists. It promotes business competitiveness for the state across a range of issues.
Rounding out the top 10 are familiar associations representing the state’s teachers and retired public employees.
The chart below shows expenses as reported by the entities. Salaries includes both staff and hired lobbyists; expenses can include a wide range of costs, from printing to educational conferences.
A caveat: the Secretary’s lobbying-disclosure website remains a difficult one to search, and I might easily have missed something—please let me know if you’re aware of any entity I should have included. Also, the figures are the most current available, but some may change as disclosures continue to be processed and updated.
| Entity | Salaries | Expenses | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts Association of Health Plans | $629,868 | $394,259 | $1,024,127 |
| Massachusetts Hospital Association | $573,045 | $171,720 | $744,765 |
| Retired State, County, and Municipal Employees Association | $232,900 | $479,306 | $712,206 |
| Partners HealthCare System | $683,519 | $10,533 | $694,052 |
| Massachusetts Teachers Association | $380,592 | $299,591 | $680,183 |
| Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Massachusetts | $535,412 | $87,637 | $623,049 |
| Massachusetts Competitive Partnership | $149,721 | $463,860 | $613,581 |
| Tufts Associated Health Maintenance Organization | $293,112 | $247,750 | $540,862 |
| Steward Health Care | $515,603 | $20,658 | $536,261 |
| MAXIMUS | $528,000 | $1,446 | $529,446 |
| Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe | $504,129 | 0 | $504,129 |
| Harvard Pilgrim Health Care | $170,054 | $333,866 | $503,920 |
| Association for Behavioral Healthcare | $376,565 | $65,412 | $441,977 |
| Associated Industries of Massachusetts | $336,800 | $105,130 | $441,930 |
| Development Associates | $430,479 | 0 | $430,479 |
| Massachusetts Medical Society | $193,065 | $216,956 | $410,021 |
| Northeast Utilities | $404,770 | $4,303 | $409,073 |
| Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers | $251,405 | $153,750 | $405,155 |
| Verizon Communication | $377,087 | $25,954 | $403,041 |
| Children's Hospital Boston | $321,661 | $71,688 | $393,349 |
| Altria/Philip Morris | $386,000 | 0 | $386,000 |
| Massachusetts Municipal Association | $251,022 | $134,779 | $385,801 |
| AFSCME Council 93 | $321,227 | $58,366 | $379,593 |
| Smaller Business Association | $329,000 | $200 | $329,200 |
| Boston University | $238,885 | $89,500 | $328,385 |
| Tenet Healthcare | $239,000 | $80,387 | $319,387 |
| Massachusetts Nurses Association | $299,238 | $14,150 | $313,388 |
| Fujifilm Pharmaceutical | $300,000 | $429 | $300,429 |
| Keolis | $300,000 | 0 | $300,000 |
