Senate Finance to Take Up Health Care; See Their Lobbyist Connections

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According to First Read, Senate Finance Chair Max Baucus will announce his plans for health care reform sometime this week. Baucus and his committee are seen as the crucial stepping stone for the reform plan pushed by President Obama and congressional Democrats. The outline of Baucus’ plans will likely determine the shape and fate of health care reform this year. Due to Baucus’ import in the reform discussion, we decided to take a look at the circle of lobbyists surrounding both Baucus and the other committee members. By tracking former staffers turned lobbyists for committee members, we can see what other interests are involved in crafting the coming health reform compromise. Senators are not simply island unto themselves, but important pieces in a network of companies, interest groups and lobbyists trying to formulate policy. Hopefully, these visualizations help to make that a little bit clearer. You can see all of them on one page here.