WellPoint Inc., the nation's largest health insurer based on membership, spent $870,000 in the third quarter on a federal government lobbying push that focused mostly on the health care overhaul.
The Indianapolis insurer's total represented a 9 percent increase compared with 2010's third quarter but a 34 percent drop from the $1.3 million it spent in this year's second quarter.
WellPoint lobbied on several provisions related to the overhaul, which aims to provide coverage for millions of uninsured people but also imposes fees and restrictions on managed care companies. The insurer lobbied on implementation of the law, exchanges on which people will purchase coverage, rate regulation and essential health benefits, according to a five-page report filed with the clerk of the House of Representatives.
WellPoint also lobbied on an overhaul provision that requires insurers to spend certain percentages of their premiums on health care or quality improvement. These minimum medical loss ratios debuted this year, and insurers were concerned about the impact they would have on their business. But analysts and industry observers say it has been mostly manageable so far.
WellPoint operates Blue Cross Blue Shield plans in 14 states and provides health insurance for more than 34 million people. Several other health insurers also have focused their lobbying efforts on the overhaul.
Besides Congress and the White House, WellPoint lobbied the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and the departments of Health & Human Services, Treasury and Labor.