Lobbyists assisted lawmakers who wrote health care articles

ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Lobbyists were involved in drafting or revising opinion columns about health care written by state lawmakers in Montana and Ohio.

The Washington Post reports lobbyists were involved in producing the final versions of articles warning of the dangers of Medicare-for-all and other government involvement in health care.

State Rep. Kathy Kelker and Sen. Jen Gross of Montana say editorials they published separately about the single-payer health proposal included language provided to the Democrats by Montana lobbyist John MacDonald.

An aide to Republican state Sen. Steve Huffman of Ohio has confirmed Huffman’s opinion column criticizing Medicare-for-all was written with the help of Ohio-based lobbyist Kathleen DeLand.

None of the lawmakers’ columns discloses they were written with lobbyist assistance.

Neither of the consultants would confirm who hired them.