Healthcare Special Interest Groups in the Legislative Process

Now that we understand the role of Congress and its committee system, what role will interest groups play in healthcare reform? How can special interest groups influence healthcare reform in the legislative process? Before we answer this question, we must first understand the function of special interest groups.

Special Interest Groups Defined
Special interests groups are an association of individuals or organizations that attempts to influence public policy. They are usually concerned with one or a small range of issues. Their role is to link the governed with the government, allowing the group to politically participate in the public policy process. They often act as sources of technical and political information for policymakers. A lobbyist is a person who represents an interest group to government in order to influence governmental actions in that group’s favor.

The problem with interest groups lies in the fact that not all people are represented by interest groups. Interest groups are able to use their group resources (money, membership, and information, etc.) into political power. The following are four types of special interest groups:

• Economic interest or producer groups - business, labor, or health care
• Promotional or cause groups - the Sierra Club or American Civil Liberties Union
• Government and quasi-government interests - government agencies and foreign governments
• State and local interest groups

Healthcare’s Special Interest Groups

Which special interest groups will be involved in healthcare reform? Above is diagram of how various healthcare interests participating in The White House Forum on healthcare reform earlier this month. But who are the “special interests” in healthcare? Below is a sample of special interest groups categorized by healthcare delivery system components that will lobby the executive branch and Congress:

• Financial resources - America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) and Centers for Medicaid and State Operations (CMS)
• Delivery system - American Hospital Association, Federation of American Hospitals (FAH), and American Psychological Association (APA)
• Consumers - AARP, Families USA, Business Roundtable, AFL-CIO, and National Federation of Independent Business
• Nonfinancial resources - Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, Physicians for a National Health Program, and American Medical Association (AMA)
• Government - U.S. Chamber of Commerce and U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services (HHS)

Healthcare Special Interest Groups Path to Influence
How can special interest groups influence healthcare reform in the legislative process? Interest groups use several paths and tactics to influence Congress by direct lobbying, grass-roots lobbying, political campaigns to intermediaries, the public, and Congress. Through these efforts, interest groups influence the public and intermediaries on Congress through direct lobbying, constituent pressures, and citizen participation. See Keefe and Ogul’s The Paths of Interest-Groups Influence diagram below for details.

CLICK TO SEE THE DIAGRAM IN FULL SIZE

What’s the special interest groups role in healthcare reform?  When you read news headlines like “Study: 86.7 million Americans uninsured over last two years” or “New Study Shows Health Care Costs Put U.S. Workers at Significant Disadvantage Compared with Global Competitors,” the chances are a special interest group commissioned the study to educate  the public, Congress, and the executive branch in their effort to lobby their position on healthcare reform.

Sources:

• The American Legislative Process: Congress and the States by Willam J. Keefe and Morris S.Ogul
• First World Interest Groups: A Comparative Perspective by Clive S. Thomas