ABSTRACT
As a 501 nonprofit organization, the American Public Health Association (APHA) is limited in the amount of lobbying activities in which it may legally engage. The public health establishment may be "pro-choice" on abortion, but is adamantly opposed to choice when it comes to health care spending. APHA lobbyists vigorously supported an expansion of the American welfare system, believing that being on welfare is conducive to improved public health. The February 1997 issue of The Nation's Health included the association's "Annual Vote Tally" regarding "how members of Congress voted on issues affecting public health". The APHA has published manuals on political coalition-building and has organized various "coalition-building campaigns" in a number of states. The public health establishment seems primarily interested in protecting the privacy of survey respondents when such protection suits its political purposes. The APHA seems to get involved in virtually every political issue facing Congress, and quite a few more that even Congress ignores.
