December 2003

ACA a leader in grassroots lobbying

Studies by a PhD candidate in political science and public policy show that the American Chiropractic Association is an effective grassroots lobbying organization.

According to Michael T. Heaney, who published articles on Medicare reform and grassroots influence, in the opinions sections of the Nov. 26 Washington Times and the Nov. 30 Washington Post, the ACA ranks 19 out of the top 25 lobbying organizations for its grassroots organization and effectiveness.

Heaney told Chiropractic Economics that his ranking method does not measure how much influence the organizations have. However, he said, usually “the more grassrooted an organization is, the more influential it is.”

The public-policy student said in his Times article, “Over 300 organizations have publicly endorsed the [Medicare] legislation, including health industry associations, medical professionals, patients’ advocacy organizations, employers and business trade associations. Much of this support comes from organizations with strong grassroots networks.”

Heaney explained that his list of the top 25 grassroots lobbying organizations was culled from a roll of more than 1,200 associations he initially compiled that have interests in healthcare legislation. He used several criteria, including recommendations by a panel, mention in previous studies and lobbying efforts, to narrow the list to the top 171 associations. He said that the International Chiropractors Association and the World Chiropractic Alliance both met the criteria to be among the original 1,200 associations, but did not meet the criteria for the smaller group, from which the top 25 were eventually ranked, based on in-depth interviews with 77 congressional staff.

Heaney explained that grassroots organizations are those that “are highly successful in building connections between their members and Congress on a wide geographic basis,” he explained. “Many organizations have members throughout the United States, but they may not be as effective in making their voices heard in Congress on health issues.”

The most effective grassroots organizations, according to Heaney’s rankings, are the American Hospital Association, followed by the American Medical Association and AARP. Blue Cross/Blue Shield was ranked #5. The ACA tied in ranking #19 with the United Auto Workers.

To read more about Heaney’s research, go to his Web site, http://home.uchicago.edu/~mtheaney/.

Source: Michael T. Heaney, mailto:mtheaney@midway.uchicago.edu

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