Panicked by the possibility of meaningful health care reform, the pharmaceutical manufacturers, health insurance companies and hospital trade associations together are spending more than $1 million a day on lobbyists to make sure those industries' prescriptions are part of the health care legislation being debated in Congress.

They have hired more than 350 former government employees, including former House Majority Leaders Dick Armey and Dick Gephardt and former staffers of the very committees engaged in crafting reform legislation. Of course, the industry has the same right to communicate with elected representatives as the rest of us. Unfortunately, few ordinary citizens can afford to spend $1,000,000 a day to get Congress to listen to their concerns.

If we want to get health costs under control and feel secure that we'll be able to get coverage when we need it, we'll need to make ourselves heard over the torrent of money being spent to protect and promote the industry's interests.

Ginny Kotzias, Research assistant

Florida Public Interest Research Group