Kansas Governor Mark Parkinson announced Monday his future employment with the American Health Care Association & National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) when he leaves office in a few months.
Washington, DC-based AHCA/NCAL claims it advocates for long-term care professionals to help member facilities deliver quality care and services to America’s frail, elderly and disabled. Parkinson will be the leader for 11,000 member facilities and the 1.5 million Americans they care for each day.
Parkinson will succeed Bruce Yarwood as President and CEO of AHCA/NCAL in Jan. 2011.
A review of recent salary information for the top AHCA/NCAL executive suggests Parkinson‘s new salary may be in the $750,000 range. As Kansas Governor Parkinson now earns approximately $110,000 according to KanView.
IRS 990s filed by AHCA, a 501(c)(6) non-profit, can be viewed online at GuideStar.org:
| Year | AHCA President/ CEO | Salary | Other Compensation |
| 2005 | Hal Daub | $787,927 | $1,083,333 |
| 2006 | Bruce Yarwood | $638,461 | $5,619 |
| 2007 | Bruce Yarwood | $695,514 | $31,722 |
| 2008 | Bruce Yarwood | $729,427 | $33,372 |
Amy Jordan Wooden, Gov. Parkinson’s press secretary, said Parkinson’s salary at AHCA was not open public information.
AHCA Public Affairs Manager Katherine Lehman did not immediately respond to phone and E-mail requests for comments.
Parkinson’s salary in 2011 at AHCA will become open in late 2012 when the organization files its 990 form with the IRS.
AHCA also maintains a federal PAC for contributions to congressional candidates. OpenSecrets.org classifies AHCA’s PAC as a “Heavy Hitter:”
The American Health Care Association is the largest association of long-term care providers in the country, composed of 11,000 member facilities and nursing homes. The organization is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and it advocates on behalf of the elderly and disabled, as well as its members. Of particular concern to AHCA is Medicare/Medicaid policy and health policy affecting long-term care and the elderly. But AHCA also takes pro-business positions on labor regulations and arbitration law that may affect the owners of its member facilities. AHCA contributions tend to split between Republicans and Democrats, with more tending to go toward the party in power.
The Center for Responsive Politics, the group that maintains OpenSecrets.org, shows this graph for AHCA contributions by political party by election cycle:
AHCA's contributions to federal candidates by election cycle (Source: OpenSecrets)
All current members of the U.S. House and U.S. Senate from Kansas, except Congressman Todd Tiahrt, received political contributions from this PAC.
In addition to contributions through their federal PAC, AHCA spends a considerable amount on lobbying activities according to OpenSecrets.org:
AHCA's lobby expenditures by year (Source: OpenSecrets)
Through AHCA and its PAC, Gov. Parkinson will join former Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius in Washington, DC as another major player from Kansas in the national health care policy debate.
Via Parkinson may earn $750,000/year from advocacy group when he leaves office
