Drug-bill battle is lucrative for lobbyists, legislators [The Orlando Sentinel, Fla.]
By Aaron Deslatte, The Orlando Sentinel, Fla. | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
But the two-year conflict has also become one of
On one side are workers'-compensation insurers, corporate-interest groups representing major employers, and pharmacy-benefit distributors that largely control the billon-dollar market for prescription drugs in
During the past two years -- since former Gov.
The recipients are a who's who of
"This is just a classic battle between competing interest groups," said
But opponents claim Automated's giving -- followed by the sudden about-face of recipients -- is also an example of how money can buy not just access but outcomes in
"They're clearly in the top five spenders for any company. They have one issue, and their one issue is to increase the cost of workers' compensation in
"I hope we're not entering an era where whoever writes the biggest check moves to the front of the line."
But
"They haven't given as much as the people they're up against. It stands out because they're one company," Ballard said. "You have to support people, and sometimes you're successful, and sometimes you're not."
Small firm, big bucks
On the fourth floor of a nondescript office building in
More than 6,800
And since 2010, its offices have been home to one of the state's most active corporate political financiers.
Using at least 19 different entities -- with names ranging from AHCS and Green Solar Transportation to "Boys from
"We are in a pioneer industry that affects profits to many of the largest insurers and [pharmacy-benefit companies] in the country. This is a case of David vs. Goliath," said
"Goliath" is led by the
Besides the Chamber, workers'-compensation insurers have spent lavishly on lobbying and contributing to politicians during the same period.
But Automated spent bigger, employing five lobbying shops in
"The insurance companies out-hired AHCS, outspent them and had a huge presence at the Capitol," Zimmerman, who would not be interviewed, said in written answers to questions. "The AHCS legislative team found itself in a situation where we needed reinforcements."
Insurers say they began to see a spike in physician-dispensation in states such as
The state
The drugs can be expensive.
Naproxen -- a commonly prescribed muscle relaxant -- costs
Indeed, at one point
AHCS insists that
"It's a straw man to support their argument for rate increases," said
Physicians argue that dispensing pre-measured doses of medication out of their offices leads to quicker recovery, because injured workers don't have the hassle of finding a pharmacy approved to fill their prescriptions, or delays in getting their claims approved. The costs are higher, they say, because doctors can't buy pills in bulk as a pharmacy chain can.
"We can't be pharmacies. We can't be CVS," said Dr.
Still, the
AHCS executives quickly launched a crash lobbying effort -- hiring Ballard, who had been a major campaign fundraiser for Crist, and encouraging an editorial-writing campaign -- to get the governor to veto the bill.
Less than a month later, Crist, by then an independent candidate for the
After Democratic gubernatorial nominee
"They knew this part of their business model was going to be toast if I was governor," Sink said.
The company also gave
That November,
Haridopolos said that, by then, lawmakers had figured out the issue was complicated and that AHCS lobbyists had managed to convince some legislators that the promised savings were a mirage.
"The facts were kind of all over the place," Haridopolos said. "... To this day, if you ask members about the complexities of workers'-compensation insurance, it's tough to digest."
Cannon said the money didn't buy his support, as evidenced by the fact that his chamber has voted three times to crack down on the practice.
"I voted in favor of it this year. I've done the same thing in prior years," he said.
Automated even gave
Zimmerman said that when the company gave the money to the chamber, "we were under the impression that the leadership was advancing a pro-business and pro-worker agenda.
"We later came to the realization that the chamber CCE was exclusively driven by the needs of insurance companies -- to the detriment of injured workers," he said.
In the 2011 session, language capping reimbursements for repackaged drugs found its way into a budget conforming bill late in the session. But it was quietly removed in negotiations between House Budget Chief
Wilson said Grimsley blocked the bill; she would not comment for this story.
"How many sources of opposition did we have to that bill? The answer is one," said Sen.
This year, Hays' bill failed again when Haridopolos refused to let it come to the
"They put a lot of money into this," Hays said. "It's really pretty evident to control an issue in the
The
"There's money on all sides on that bill," Haridopolos said. "The chamber gave a ton of money. The other side gave a lot of money. If anything, you'd think the chamber would have more influence because they gave more."
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