The Ringleaders
Interest groups are a very vital aspect to our political system. They represent groups of people fighting for a common interest who use various tactics in order to bring attention to the cause at hand and persuade policy makers. When it comes to important issues such as health care, we find that certain interest groups hold a considerable amount of power and often work alongside politics in influencing policies. There are many techniques used by these groups to help their positions be heard such as grassroot activities and litigation as well as, lobbying and electoral contributions which are the most powerful therefore most common. Lobbying refers to the attempt individuals make to contact and persuade or influence officials and legislators. Electoral contributions typically refer to the large amounts of money donated to campaigns of supported policy makers by the interest groups. It’s common for these techniques to work hand in hand. Although negative perceptions of lobbying and contributions are no secret, the methods are completely legal. In fact, lobbying is even protected by the First Amendment.
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Who are some of the most powerful healthcare interest groups?
There are many influential health interest groups. There are ones that are more known for there powerful lobbying like AARP. AARP is for seniors who are retired or still working. The provide many benefits for their members and hold more than 38 million members. With so many members, whom many actively vote and lobby, their voice is strong. Although AARP is a non partism, their democratic ties are apparent. They ultimately feel the current health bill creates an age gap for older Americans and urges for a new bill. Then there are groups known for their large electoral contributions such as pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer Inc who has contribution records of $1,306,261 more than $700,000 going to republicans (Opennotes). Health professionals are also some of the top contributors which is no surprise seeing as they are some of the highest paid professions. For example, the American Society of Anesthesiologists contributed a whopping $1,377,400 with more than half of that going towards Republicans (Opennotes).
There are many influential health interest groups. There are ones that are more known for there powerful lobbying like AARP. AARP is for seniors who are retired or still working. The provide many benefits for their members and hold more than 38 million members. With so many members, whom many actively vote and lobby, their voice is strong. Although AARP is a non partism, their democratic ties are apparent. They ultimately feel the current health bill creates an age gap for older Americans and urges for a new bill. Then there are groups known for their large electoral contributions such as pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer Inc who has contribution records of $1,306,261 more than $700,000 going to republicans (Opennotes). Health professionals are also some of the top contributors which is no surprise seeing as they are some of the highest paid professions. For example, the American Society of Anesthesiologists contributed a whopping $1,377,400 with more than half of that going towards Republicans (Opennotes).
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