Key players in the year-long fight over health care reform — including heavyweights like PhRMA’s Billy Tauzin and Karen Ignagni of America’s Health Insurance Plans — rake in huge annual salaries, according to tax filings.
New IRS rules require non-profits, including trade associations representing health care stakeholders, to disclose more salary information than ever before, a development first reported on by Roll Call.
So TPMmuckraker decided to take a look at what the lobbyists and leaders of these organizations make for a day’s work.
Because of late filing deadlines (which are also often extended), the most recent data available is for 2008.
Chamber of Commerce: The business group’s chief lobbyist, Bruce Josten, brought in a whopping $1.14 million, $922,000 of that representing salary plus bonus, Roll Call reported. The Chamber has been among the biggest foes of health care reform. Josten himself announced this month a final multi-million dollar advertising push targeting key lawmakers around the country. Meanwhile, Rolf Lundberg, the group’s senior VP for congressional and public affairs, received a $567,000 compensation package.
SEIU: Andy Stern, president of the Service Employees International Union, has been perhaps the most vocal labor voice on health care. After the election of Scott Brown in Massachusetts back in January, Stern called for the House to pass the Senate bill and then a fix through reconciliation — the route Democrats are pursuing right now. He pulled in $250,000 in pay plus bonus and another $54,000 in benefits and deferred compensation. Anna Burger, chair of the union coalition Change to Win, which endorsed final passage of the bill today, made $271,000 in total compensation.
American Medical Association: The traditionally conservative doctors’ group provided a big boost for the Obama Administration last July when Executive VP Michael Maves sent letters to Congress expressing support for the House bill. (The AMA previously opposed a public option.) Dr. Maves got a compensation package worth $957,000, with $836,000 of that in the form of salary and bonus.
America’s Health Insurance Plans: The association for the U.S. insurance industry has been at the heart of the fight against Obama’s health care plan. Earlier this month they made a $1 million ad buy to repudiate the administration’s criticism of rising rates. AHIP lobbyists Scott Styles and Carmella Bocchino each made over $500,000, according to Roll Call.
AHIP President Karen Ignagni got $1.94 million in compensation, including $1.2 million in salary and bonus.
PhRMA The pharmaceutical industry group that agreed to back the health care bill in exchange for a number of well-reported concessions from the White House. Lobbyists Mimi Kneuer and Richard Smith made $831,000 and $756,000, respectively, Roll Call reported.
PhRMA’s president, former Louisiana congressman Billy Tauzin, took home a monster pay package worth $4.47 million, almost $3 million of it in salary and bonus.
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