Health Care Industry Lobbying Spending Hits Record Levels in Q1 2026

Health care industry lobbying spending reached unprecedented levels in Q1 2026 as major pharmaceutical companies, insurers, and trade groups responded to intensifying Trump administration scrutiny ahead of midterm elections. AHIP spent a record $5.3 million, PhRMA spent $12.2 million, and companies including Eli Lilly, Gilead, and Regeneron all reported their highest quarterly lobbying expenditures on record. The surge follows President Trump's January 2026 directive ordering Congress to codify drug pricing deals, send health insurance money directly to Americans, and require more price transparency from insurers, while Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. leads the Make America Healthy Again movement questioning drug and food safety. The lobbying blitz comes as Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act included nearly $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts and enhanced Obamacare subsidies expired, prompting health care firms to hire top K Street lobbying shops to protect their business interests.

Record Healthcare Industry Lobbying Spending in Q1 2026

• ▪Todd Strategy Group was among the top lobbying shops for pharmaceutical companies in Q1 2026.
• ▪PhRMA spent $12.2 million on lobbying in Q1 2026, the second-highest quarter for the trade association on record.
• ▪Mehlman Consulting was among the top lobbying shops for insurers in Q1 2026.
• ▪Eli Lilly reported its highest quarterly spending on lobbying on record in Q1 2026.
• ▪The American Medical Association spent nearly $8 million on lobbying in Q1 2026, its second-highest quarter in the past decade.
• ▪AHIP spent $5.3 million on lobbying in the first three months of 2026, its highest tally for any quarter on record.
• ▪Humana reported its highest lobbying spending on record for Q1 2026 at $2.6 million.

Trump Administration Healthcare Policy Pressures Driving Lobbying Surge

• ▪President Donald Trump ordered Congress to codify his drug pricing deals in a sweeping directive announced in January 2026.
• ▪President Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act included nearly $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid.
• ▪President Donald Trump ordered Congress to require more price transparency from insurers in a sweeping directive announced in January 2026.
• ▪President Donald Trump ordered Congress to send money directly to Americans for health insurance in a sweeping directive announced in January 2026.

Other Corporate Lobbying and Political Activities

• ▪Spirit Airlines has entered bankruptcy twice since 2024.
• ▪Grindr spent more than $150,000 in Q1 2026 on in-house lobbying and contracts with K Street shops.
• ▪Reflection was founded by two former Google DeepMind researchers in 2024.
• ▪Grindr has spent more than $1.6 million on lobbying efforts since registering to lobby federal lawmakers a year ago.
• ▪The Trump administration's potential Spirit Airlines deal could involve the government lending Spirit as much as $500 million.
• ▪A judge blocked Spirit Airlines' potential acquisition by JetBlue in 2024 following an antitrust lawsuit filed by the Biden Justice Department.
• ▪More than 30 travel and tourism industry groups launched the United States Tourism Economy Alliance.
• ▪Grindr contracted with Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck for lobbying services in Q1 2026.

Perspective of Health care industry (pharmaceutical companies, insurers, and trade groups)

• ▪Pharmaceutical companies and insurers hired top K Street lobbying firms including Todd Strategy Group, BGR Group, and Mehlman Consulting to influence policy outcomes.

2 sources