As reported last week by Party Time, health care reform continues to be a potent fundraising issue for lawmakers. One legislator in particular has seen a large amount of funds come into her campaign from the health care industry and will perhaps do so again tonight.

Rep. Allyson Schwartz, D-Pa.,is scheduled to hold a fundraiser tonight hosted by several lobbyists for the industry. The healthcare sector was her largest contributor in the last cycle. The event is scheduled to be a dinner held at the offices of the American College of Radiology featuring fellow Rep. Xavier Becerra, D-Calif.

Geoff Werth, of the US Oncology PAC, is one of the eight listed lobbyists hosting the event. In September of last year, Party Time pointed out Werth’s event-hosting spree when he and his fellow US Oncology lobbyist Matt Brow hosted eight fundraisers in two weeks. At the time, Werth was lobbying on H.R. 2366, the Cancer Drug Coverage Parity Act, a bill that would require the coverage of oral chemotherapy drugs by private insurers. US Oncology is one of the largest purchasers of such drugs in the country and stood to benefit from the passage of the bill. Although this bill died in committee, the US Oncology and Werth are apparently still lobbying on its behalf.

Suggested contributions for the Schwartz event are $2,000 to host and $1,000 to attend.

The 111th Congress may be over but that doesn’t mean the major issues that defined the historic session are settled. Health care reform and financial services regulation, topics that dominated the debate in the 111th Congress, are still being debated in Congress and used as fundraising draws. From January to June of this year, Party Time has received 16 events centered on the financial services industry and 18 concerning health care. Many of these events are being hosted by health care or financial services industry PACs. Two such events are scheduled to take place today.

Rep. Lois Capps, D-Calif., is the beneficiary of a “Healthcare Luncheon” today at the offices of Bryan Cave Strategies LLP. Hosting the event will be Bryan Caves’ own Bill Applegate and Chris Rorick, both of whom have lobbied on behalf of several healthcare industry PACs.  The suggested contribution for the event is $1,000.

Monique Frazier, a lobbyist for HSBC Holdings, will be hosting a Financial Services Industry Dinner tonight on behalf of Rep. Mike Ross, D-Ark., at Wolfgang Puck’s elegant restaurant The Source, located just steps from the Capitol. Contributions for the event are listed as $2,500 for a PAC host and $1,500 for a PAC Guest.

Rep. Ross will also be the beneficiary of a health care-related fundraiser on May 25 at Bobby Van’s Grill. One of Rep. Ross’s hosts is the PAC for the cancer treatment firm US Oncology, which was very active on the Hill fundraiser circuit leading up to last year’s election. Another is the Healthcare Distribution Management Association PAC. Contributions start at $500 for an individual guest and reach $5,000 for a PAC host.

Although these fundraisers are for Democrats, it should be noted that half of the 34 events scheduled so far this year benefit Republicans. And while Party Time often receives hundreds of invitations to D.C. moneymakers each month, it’s also worth noting that Party Time does not receive all of them.

Well before the midterms, a small group of GOP lawmakers, three quarters of whom serve on the Energy and Commerce Committee, were already looking towards the next fundraising campaign.

The four congressmen arranged for a “Post Election Trip in Miami” this weekend as early as Oct. 8, when a GOP fundraising firm sent out email invitations asking for $2,500 from PACs and $1,500 from individuals to benefit each member’s political action committee. Other invitations from the National Republican Congressional Committee mistakenly called for $5,000 PAC donations, as The Hill reported. All four won re-election easily.

One of the lawmakers, Phil Gingrey, R-Ga., was among the House’s top recipients of health care professionals’ campaign dollars for the midterm elections, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. At least for him, the retreat is on, according to his campaign’s finance director Elizabeth Rhodes.

Another trip planner, Rep. John Shimkus, R-Ill., who is vying to chair the Energy committee, is a favorite of the pharmaceutical and health products industry among his House colleagues, according to CRP.

The Energy and Commerce Committee may try to chip away at parts of the Democrats’ health care overhaul next year, and its ranking member, Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, has said he would investigate the decisions of the Obama Administration’s top health appointees.

Gingrey has said he wants to repeal the law because it would slash doctors’ salaries and discourage people from entering medical school.

The health sector leads all others in donations to Gingrey’s campaign and PAC, and his top donors include pharmaceutical company Abbot Laboratories, the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons and OB-GYN PAC, according to CRP. The Georgia lawmaker, a former practicing physician, and Rep. Tim Murphy, R-Penn., a former psychologist, founded the GOP Doctors’ Caucus last year.

Murphy, who also planned the Miami getaway, gets more donations from the health and energy sectors than any others.

Also going along, invitations show, is John Campbell, R-Calif., who does not sit on the committee and gets most of his donations from the Finance, Insurance and Real Estate sector, CRP’s data shows.

Calls to Murphy, Shimkus and Campbell were not returned by the time of posting.

To keep tabs on all committees’ fundraisers, visit Parties by Committee.

In the waning days of the Congressional session, two lobbyists for a powerful company specializing in cancer treatment are hosting a number of fundraisers. The lawmakers who will benefit have power over legislation that could mean hefty profits for the firm.

The duo — Geoff Werth and Matt Brow — represent US Oncology, a little-known but powerful company that provides services to cancer doctors. Brow and Werth have scheduled at least eight parties for the last two weeks of September, seven of which celebrate — while asking for contributions of $1,000 to $5,000 a guest — lawmakers that can influence bills that would benefit US Oncology.

The company owns a specialty pharmacy that distributes oral chemotherapy drugs, an alternative to the traditional IV-administered variety. US Oncology moves a serious volume of these drugs — in 2006, Forbes magazine reported that the firm had become the largest single purchaser of chemo drugs in the nation.

An obscure bill that would require private insurers to cover oral chemotherapy drugs at an equal rate as the intravenous ones has been languishing in committee since June of 2009.  Three of the lawmakers being feted this month — Rep. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., Rep. Mike Ross, D-Ariz. and Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore. — sit on one of the committees that is considering the bill.

Four of the other lawmakers on Werth and Brow’s fundraising circuit have control over another bill — one that would adjust Medicare payments for certain kinds of drugs. Oncologists’ groups are supporting the legislation, which would increase reimbursement rates for cancer clinics like those of US Oncology’s clients. Senators Chuck Schumer, D., N.Y-Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Robert Menendez, D-N.J., all sit on the committee to which the bill was referred in June of last year.

US Oncology representatives lobbied Congress on both of these bills between April and June of 2010, according to federal lobbying disclosure reports. The company’s PAC has also contributed $440,000 to federal candidates during the 2010 cycle, to both Democrats and Republicans, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

Although it garners few headlines, US Oncology is a heavy hitter in the health care business. According to its financial filings, the company brought in $918 million in revenue in the second quarter of 2010. The firm provides a host of services to cancer doctors, either directly or through its subsidiaries, including billing, electronic medical records services and the conducting of clinical trials. There are more than 1,300 physicians in its network and 101 clinical trials open to enrollment.

US Oncology has seen its share of controversy in the past. As Forbes reported in 2006, four whistleblower lawsuits have been brought against the company alleging improper Medicare billing. Although the Department of Justice must investigate any such claim, none of the suits made it to trial.

Werth and Brow didn’t respond to phone calls for this story. Here is a list of the parties Werth and Brow are holding this month:

* September 14: Dinner and cocktails to toast Rep. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., at $2,500 per PAC

* September 16: Breakfast at The Source by Wolfgang Puck for Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., at $1,000 to $5,000

* September 21: Breakfast for Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore.; contributions starting at $1,000 to $5,000

* September 21: Reception for Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J.,  at $1,000 per individual and $2,500 per PAC

* September 27: Dinner at Bistro Bis for the Senate Majority Fund and Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., at $1,000 to $5,000 contribution

* September 29: $1,000 to $5,000 lunch at Charlie Palmer steak house for Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore.

* September 29: Dinner at Charlie Palmer steak house for Rep. Mike Ross, D-Ark.; $1,500 to $5,000

* September 30: Breakfast for Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore. – $1,000 to $2,500 contribution.

This weekend is the annual “Camp Baucus” fundraiser for Sen. Max Baucus’, D-Mont., leadership PAC in Montana. “Camp Baucus is a trip for the entire family; Bring everyone to enjoy Big Sky,” reads the invitation, using similar wording from last year’s bash.

Last year, however, with the health care reform debate at a fevered pitch, Baucus skipped the “Camp Baucus” fundraiser to stay in Washington, his aide said at the time, to work on health care reform, for which he was a key player.

Baucus’ Glacier PAC has collected $720,000 this election cycle, with insurance, lobbyists, health professionals, and pharmaceuticals/health products all among his top five donating industries, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Among the contributions that flowed into the PAC in the days close to the event were $5,000 from Motorola’s PAC (7/27/09) and $5,000 from the American Staffing Association’s PAC (07/29/09); both organizations were registered to lobby on health care reform at the time. While there is no large cluster of contributions dated near the event last year in Glacier PAC’s campaign finance reports, it is difficult to trace donations related to a particular event, as there is no federal requirement that this be reported.

The senator’s office did not return a call for comment.

Alaska Governor and former Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin will host a “Kill the Bill” rally which will also serve as a fundraiser for Rep. Michele Bachmann, of Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District on Wednesday.

The rally, which calls for a repeal of the Health Care Bill, begins at 2 p.m. on April 7th and will take place at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Donations to benefit Bachmann’s re-election campaign will be accepted.

Following the rally, a fundraising dinner will take place at the Minneapolis Hilton Hotel, complete with a “photo opportunity” and a general reception. Honorary hosts include Gov. Tim Pawlenty; former Senator Norm Coleman; Rep. John Kline, R-Minn.; and Rep. Erik Paulsen, R-Minn. According to the RSVP form, the price for a couple to attend the photo opportunity, the private reception, and the dinner (which includes a table for 10) is $10,000.

Both events are advertised on Bachmann’s website. The Cook Political Report describes Bachmann’s district as “likely Republican.”

Next Thursday, December 3, campaign donors will have the opportunity to sing “happy birthday” to Sen. Max Baucus, who as chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, has been at the center of the health care debate–and of health care donors, as reported here and here.

The invitation, obtained by the Washington Times, which reported on it here, shows how tantalizing and frustrating these invitations can be.

We know from our reporting and analysis  that Baucus is at the center of health care fundraising. However, this invitation gives no clue about who will attend next week’s event, even as the health care debate is front and center in the news.

Because senators report their contributions quarterly and even then are not required to file their campaign finance reports electronically, it will be months before we can look at contribution records to try to sleuth out who may have attended this event. While senators have the option to file electronically voluntarily, few do, and Baucus isn’t one of them.

Lobbyists representing Genentech hosted at least four fundraisers for members of Congress who used language drafted by the company for insertion in the congressional record, shows an analysis of invitations collected in Party Time’s database.

The New York Times writes “Statements by more than a dozen lawmakers were ghostwritten, in whole or in part, by Washington lobbyists working for Genentech, one of the world’s largest biotechnology companies.”

Lobbyists for Roche, which acquired Genentech in March of 2009, have hosted events for at least 26 members of Congress since the merger, according to Party Time data. FireDogLake’s Marcy Wheeler has identified 18 members of Congress (Dems here, Republicans, here) who relied on the Genentech language . At least four of those elected officials show up linked to the Genentech hosted fundraisers.

Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-NJ) was scheduled to attend a breakfast fundraiser at the Phoenix Park Hotel on May 7.  The event was hosted by lobbyists David Jones and former Senate Finance Committee staff director James Gould, who count Roche as clients.

Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX) held a fundraising breakfast at Bistro Bis on September 17. Lobbyist hosts included Darin Gardner and Anna Sagely, who lobby exclusively for Hoffman-La Roche,  as well as lobbyists Mat Lapinski, Chris Myrick, and Christine Pellerin, who have Roche on their client lists.

Darin Gardner and Christine Pellerin, legislative assistant to former Congressman Henry Bonilla (R-TX), also hosted Rep. Mike Conaway (R-TX) for breakfast at Bistro Bis, also in May of this year.

Finally, Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX) held a cocktails and cigars fundraiser for Women Impacting the Nation, a project of her leadership committee Common Sense Common Solutions, on September 21. More than two dozen lobbyists hosted the event, four of whom represent Roche:  Darin Gardner, Christine Pellerin, Anna Sageley and Mat Lapinkski–the same lobbyists responsible for the Conaway and Poe events.

Also of note: Kevin Connor of LittleSis.org connects Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA), co-sponsor to a pharma friendly measure in the healthcare bill, to the mess via former legislative aid Nick Kolovos, who now lobbies on behalf of Genentech. Mark Kadesh, former chief of staff first to Rep. Jane Harman (D-CA) and Sen. Diane Feinstein (D-CA), and now a Genentech lobbyist, was one of four hosts at a July 16 breakfast for Eshoo.

Click on the following individual names to see a full list of clients for each lobbyist: David Jones, James Gould, Darin Gardner, Christine Pellerin, Anna Sagely, Mat Lapinski, Chris Myrick, Mark Kadesh.

We’re rounding out September with six more health care related fundraisers including three events that were planned yesterday (and the parties I blogged about here and here). We now have invitations to at least seventeen health care fundraisers for the month.

Today, Jocelyn Hong is hosting lunch for Rep. Baron Hill (D-IN) at the 21st Century Townhouse.  This is Hong’s fifth fundraiser in eight days.

Matt Sulkala, David Thomas, Israel Klein, Paul Brathwaite and Laura Harper are just a few of the hosts listed on Rep. Glenn Nye’s (D-VA) “Young Professionals Birthday Beers” bash tonight at 201 Lounge.

Brathwaite and Klein (of the Podesta Group) represent Covidien–”a $10 billion global health care products leader.” Laura Harper represents Blue Cross Blue Shield and Matt Sulkala lobbies for industry group PhRMA. David Thomas, a lobbyist with Mehlman Vogel Castagnetti Inc, represents pharmaceutical companies such as Merck, AstraZeneca, Abbott Laboratories, Biogen and Forest Laboratories and PhRMA.

JD Derderian, who represents US Oncology, is hosting a reception for Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA) at the Stanton Park Group offices on the 29th.

Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) and Sens. Bob Bennett (R-UT) and Jim Inhofe (R-OK) are closing out September with receptions on the 30th with at least 14 health care lobbyist hosts between their three invitations (you can find those lobbyists’ names below).

To see clients for lobbyists hosting events click on individuals’ names: Louis Dupart, JD Derderian, Laura Harper, Mark Rayder, Hunter Bates, Nelson Litterst, Jocelyn Hong, Matt Sulkala, David Thomas, Israel Klein, Paul Brathwaite, Adam Olsen, George Baker, Doyce Boesch, Rick Murphy, Bill Brewster, John Bode, David Jones, Joel White Erin Graefe, Beth Jafari,Billy Piper, Charlie Harman.

Lobbyists representing health care interests  hosted at least two fundraisers today, bringing the week’s total to eight. (See also my post yesterday.)

Jocelyn Hong hosted her third fundraiser this week–this time for Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY).  Her clients include Sanofi-Aventis and Schering-Plough Corp.

Five lobbyists who represent the pharmaceuticals giant Roche were listed as hosting  a breakfast for Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX) this morning. Hosts include Darin Gardner, Christine Pellerin, Anna Sagely, Matt Lapinski and Chris Myrick. (You can find Roche’s lobbying expenditures here). The government relations firm that is handling the event also lists Roche as a client.