Washington » Health care groups working feverishly to shape -- or kill -- an industry-wide reform bill are lavishing campaign cash on the politicians at the center of the debate.

Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, a senior Republican on the committees drafting the proposal, reported raising $234,000 in the past three months, with roughly two-thirds of it easily tied to companies with a vested interest in the health reform bill.

His second-quarter haul is more than he has raised in any period since he won re-election in 2006, but his campaign said it didn't make any major effort to rake in the donations.

"I'm sure a number of health care groups were more anxious to do fundraisers during that period," said David Hansen, who worked as Hatch's campaign manager until June. "Obviously with health care being a huge issue, they are wanting to get as much information to senators as possible."

Hatch is far from unusual. Many of the key players in both parties, including Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., have seen a spike in health-care related contributions.

But government watchdogs say it appears unseemly.

"This is a flood of money coming in from the health care industry coinciding exactly with the drafting of the health care bill," said Craig Holman, a lobbyist with the Public Citizen advocacy group. "A person can reach no other conclusion than this is quid pro quo activity."

Holman, an advocate for campaign finance reform, said the reason health care groups are "falling all over themselves" to hold fundraisers for members of Congress is that they believe they may be able to either kill the reform efforts altogether or change them more to their liking.

But Hansen, now the chairman of the Utah Republican Party, said Hatch isn't promising these groups anything in exchange for their money.

"There is money raised but no one has accused Hatch of going to the groups and selling the vote or anything like that," he said.

Hatch said that critics fail to note the variety of interests within the health care sector.

"It is kind of silly to think that it is a uniform industry that would all get behind one guy," Hatch said. "In this particular case, the factions are all over the place."

Hatch points out that he takes contributions from doctors, insurers and pharmaceutical companies, with each group often having competing interests.

"They do support you because you are doing a lot of work in this area, and I've worked in this area for 33 years." He said.

Since April, Hatch has received $45,000 from companies that create medical devices, $40,000 from drug manufacturers, $20,000 from health insurance providers and $18,500 from doctors' groups.

The wide-ranging reform bill, which could cost as much as $1 trillion if enacted, would have a significant impact on each of these groups.

Hatch received the majority of these donations in June, the month the Senate Health Committee began holding hearings on the legislation that intends to insure all Americans and lower the rising costs of care.

The committee recently approved the bill with all Democrats in favor and all Republicans, including Hatch, opposed.

After the vote, the Center for Responsive Politics conducted an analysis that showed the committee Republicans received on average $118,000 more in contributions from health insurance companies than the Democrats who voted for the bill, and $266,000 more, on average, than pharmaceutical companies.

The health care industry has long been a major source of Hatch's campaign contributions, particularly drug companies. Since 1989, he has received $3 million from the sector, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks disclosures. That ranks Hatch ninth among all members of Congress. That tally, a combination of his campaign account and political action committee, includes more than $800,000 during his last re-election bid.

Since the 2008 presidential election in which Democratic candidates including Barack Obama made health care a central issue, the industry has greatly boosted its lobbying efforts.

Health care groups contributed nearly $500 million to campaigns in 2008, topping every other category, including financial services and business interests.

Since then, the fight over health reform has only intensified, with President Barack Obama guaranteeing success by year's end even while Republicans vilify the plan as costly, heavy-handed government and industry groups remain split.

As the debate gets more spirited and the key votes approach, the money -- tracked in contributions and lobbying expenses -- have seemed to flow even faster, according to David Levinthal, with the Center for Responsive Politics.

"It is sort of like an inverse of the stock market," he said. "They just keep going up and up and up."

mcanham@sltrib.com