At least one group is benefitting handsomely from the implementation of President Barack Obama’s signature health care law: the former administration officials who helped write it.
More than 30 former administration officials who helped write the law have set up shop as lobbyists or consultants, helping business and other groups comply with the massively complex set of new regulations, the Hill reports.
The voracious need for lobbying help in dealing with Obamacare has created a price premium for lobbyists who had first-hand experience in crafting or debating the law.
Experts say that those able to fetch the highest salaries have come from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) or committees with oversight power over healthcare.
A spokesperson for the liberal group Public Citizen told the Hill that the flight of administration and Capitol Hill officials to K Street after the passage of major legislation "raises questions about the [bill's] integrity."
The years-long timeframe for Obamacare implementation is "good news for lobbyists who want to sign up clients for the long haul," the Hill notes.
The windfall from the healthcare overhaul is being reaped at firms large and small. Some veterans of the legislative push have landed at boutique firms that are increasingly specializing in lobbying niches.