RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - The trade group representing Virginia hospitals is reporting it spent more than $400,000 on lobbying expenses while it was a leading advocate for expanding Medicaid.
The Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association filed its annual lobbying disclosure form with the state earlier this month. The form covered spending from May 2013 to April 2014.
The $400,000 the association reported spending is a large increase from the year before, when it reported spending only $93,000.
The association was the leading advocate for expanding federally financed health insurance for low-income residents during this year's legislative session. State Republicans have so far successfully blocked any expansion.
The hospital association reported spending more than $100,000 on compensation for in-house and contract lobbyists, $11,000 on entertainment, and $270,000 on communications.
