Frequently Asked Questions About PHA PAC
What is PHA PAC?
PHA PAC is the political action committee (“PAC”) of Physician Hospitals of America (PHA). PHA PAC was created with the mission of helping to elect candidates to Congress who understand and can positively address the issues that impact the physician-owned hospital industry.
Under federal law, PHA is prohibited from using its general treasury funds to make contributions in connection with federal elections. However, PHA is permitted to form a political action committee (PAC) to provide PHA members with the opportunity to legally and ethically participate in federal election activities. Federal PACs like PHA PAC are registered with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) and must adhere to FEC regulations.
Who can contribute to PHA PAC?
Participation in PHA PAC is open to the physician-owners, employees, partners/shareholders, and families of all PHA member hospitals. All PAC contributions must be voluntary and made using personal funds. Corporations and foreign nationals may not contribute to PHA PAC.
PHA member hospitals that are organized as partnerships may provide a contribution to PHA PAC in the form of a partnership check. However, a list of all partners and their share of ownership must be provided to PHA PAC to determine that no portion of the contribution is from a prohibited source. Note that share of ownership information is used internally to allocate funds to each of the partners and is not made public.
Who decides which candidates receive contributions?
Candidates are recommended for PHA PAC support by PHA’s Government Relations team, who develop criteria for candidate contributions (e.g. voting record, committee assignments, leadership, presence of physician-owned hospital in district, etc.) and make funding recommendations based on that criteria and available resources. This list is shared with the PHA PAC committee for approval and then sent to the full PHA board for approval. PHA PAC is bipartisan and determines candidates’ eligibility for PAC funds based on their past support for policies that directly impact the physician-owned hospital industry. PHA PAC contributors are welcomed to suggest candidates for support.
Why should I support PHA PAC?
Our opponents have a powerful lobby and contribute significant dollars to elected officials who are in opposition to physician owned hospitals. PHA PAC is supported entirely by its members and physician contributions, and every dollar counts. No matter how large or small the contribution, our success is measured by the percentage of our members and physician participation.
PHA PAC contributions increase the industry’s visibility and access to candidates who need to understand and care about our views on legislative and regulatory policies. PHA PAC also increases the industry's political credibility as a way to hold lawmakers accountable for their actions.
How Does Contributing to PHA PAC Benefit Me?
Legislators in Washington have made no secret of the fact that health care remains at the top of their agenda this year. It’s politically smart to get involved to make sure politicians know the impact of the decisions they make. There is strength in numbers! PHA PAC gives us a collective voice in the political process Many of us support candidates individually and that’s great. But when a broad base of PHA members pool their resources together and contribute to a candidate, it’s as though our entire industry is speaking with one voice.
And the collective voice of PHA members needs to be heard. Rest assured that if we do not speak up on our issues, our opponents will.
