In a healthcare system where outcomes often depend on who holds the most power, a $30 million annual lobbying budget goes a long way.
The American Hospital Association (AHA) has spent over $30 million annually in recent years to influence healthcare policy at the federal level.
According to OpenSecrets, that spending ranks AHA among the top lobbying entities in the country. 
This money helps preserve policies that restrict competition and suppress physician autonomy.
It also protects the financial interests of hospital systems at the expense of patient choice and provider independence.
One of the most controversial outcomes of AHA’s lobbying is the continued ban on physician-owned hospitals.
Despite multiple studies showing these hospitals often outperform traditional hospital systems in quality and patient satisfaction, they remain restricted from expanding under current law.
The justification? Cost control. The reality? Market control.
A growing number of providers are calling this what it really is: corporate capture.
As Dutch Rojas noted in a viral post, “That’s not lobbying. That’s a subscription.” He’s referring to the way hospital systems use their influence to maintain favorable billing practices, limit competition, and silence dissent.
This influence has real-world consequences.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) consistently lowers physician reimbursement while allowing facility fees paid to hospital systems to increase.
That dynamic forces independent clinics and small practices to either shut down or become absorbed into hospital systems.
Dr. Matt Hornsby, a physical therapist and vocal advocate for independent care models, put it bluntly: “It’s not healthcare, it’s corporate capture.”
He explained that physicians employed by hospitals are often discouraged or even penalized for referring patients elsewhere, even when better or more affordable care is available outside the system.
Meanwhile, the American Hospital Association continues to publicly promote its support for Medicaid and underserved communities.
Just last week, the AHA praised Senator Chuck Schumer on social media for defending Medicaid funding.
But behind the scenes, their money flows into efforts that restrict innovation and preserve outdated billing models.
Other medical professionals echoed these frustrations. Dr. Bill Hennessey noted that a decade ago AHA spent $20 million a year on lobbying.
That figure has now jumped to $30 million, and the return on that investment is clear: the consolidation of healthcare under fewer, larger hospital systems.
These systems then use their scale to dictate prices, control provider decisions, and minimize scrutiny.
The cost of care continues to rise. Providers face burnout. And patients are stuck in a system that puts administrative profits before health outcomes.
It doesn’t have to be this way.
Site-neutral payment reform, transparency in lobbying, and restoring the role of independent physicians could rebalance the system. But first, the public needs to see what’s really going on.
$30 million a year buys more than access. It buys silence, confusion, and the illusion of progress.
And until that changes, patients and providers alike will keep paying the price.
