According to today’s Wall Street Journal, the health-care industry spent $133 million – over a million dollars a day – in the second quarter of 2009 lobbying Congress. (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124941851099605703.html) In comparison, the nonpartisan watchdog group OpenSecrets.org reports that the dietary supplement industry has spent a grand total of $1.5 million on lobbying efforts for the entire year to date. (http://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/induscode.php?year=2009&lname=H4600&id=)
OpenSecrets also notes that the for the 2008 Presidential Election Year cycle, the supplement industry accounted for just over $718,000 in campaign contributions, and $91,000 to date for the 2010 cycle, a steep decline from the $2.5 million contributed in 2000. (
http://www.opensecrets.org/industries/indus.php?ind=H4600) By way of comparison, the beer, wine and liquor industry and the health services, HMO industry each contributed in excess of $14 million in 2008. So far for 2010, they have contributed $1.58 million and $1.47 million respectively.
Consistent with recent history, the supplement industry is expending its resources at a pace about equal to that of the cruise industry ($623,000 in campaign donations in 2008, and $90,000 to date for 2010). Supplement related contributions have fallen behind those of the funeral industry ($1.03 million in 2008 and $81,000 so far for 2010).
After looking at these numbers, will it be any surprise that whatever (if any) healthcare legislation comes out of Congress will be crafted with substantial input from the industry it purports to reform? Meanwhile, the supplement industry will continue to wonder why it is unable to get common sense legislation including its products with FDA approved health claims into the Food Stamp program.
The Natural Products Association, American Herbal Products Association and The Council for Responsible Nutrition all have Political Action Committees that need support. Your voice can also be heard through contributions (even small ones) to individual candidates. Your local elected representative should know who you are, and I believe that you need to make every effort to participate at industry-supported political fundraisers.
Whatever the case may be, until some of the numbers reported by OpenSecrets.org start to change, the results will almost certainly remain the same.