Political Engagement

McKesson seeks to educate elected and appointed officials about the solutions we offer to improve patient safety, reduce the cost and variability of care, and improve the quality and efficiency of healthcare delivery.

Political Engagement and Lobbying Policy

McKesson understands that the decisions made by policymakers have a profound impact on our local communities, industry, business, customers, and the patients they serve. We seek to educate elected and appointed officials about the solutions we offer to improve patient safety, reduce the cost and variability of care, and improve the quality and efficiency of healthcare delivery. Information regarding our public policy approach and priorities can be found on our website.

McKesson believes that transparency and accountability with respect to political expenditures and lobbying are important, including our advocacy efforts designed to help combat the opioids epidemic.

Where permitted by law in the U.S., we may contribute corporate funds to state and local candidates, parties, committees, ballot measures, and political organizations. All of our political and lobbying activities are focused on promoting the interest of our company, without regard to the personal political preferences or affiliations of any of our employees, officers or directors. We are committed to complying with all applicable federal, state and local laws relating to political contributions and lobbying activities, including registration, disclosure and reporting of such activities, where appropriate.

Internal Policies and Procedures

McKesson’s corporate political contributions and lobbying efforts are subject to robust internal procedures designed to align these efforts with our public policy priorities and applicable law. Our efforts are led by our Senior Vice President of Public Affairs in consultation with senior business leaders and internal and external counsel. All political contributions using corporate funds are reviewed by outside counsel and must be approved by the Senior Vice President of Public Affairs, with contributions greater than $1,000 approved by the Chief Executive Officer. McKesson makes political contributions to candidates from both parties using rigorous objective criteria that promote the interests of the company. The Senior Vice President of Public Affairs has oversight responsibility for all lobbying activities and expenditures and periodically reviews its memberships in trade associations who may engage in policy advocacy.

McKesson’s Code of Conduct prohibits employees from using company time or resources for personal political activity and requires employees to notify Public Affairs or the local Law Department before engaging in any activity on behalf of the company to influence a public official, whether directly or indirectly, through oral or written communication. The company does not make “independent expenditures” nor does it contribute to so-called “Super PACs.”

From time to time, the company provides contributions from corporate funds to candidates outside the U.S. where the company has business operations. Any such contributions require approval from the region’s Public Affairs and Law Departments.

Contributions made by the McKesson Employees’ Political Action Committee are not made with corporate funds and are governed by its Board of Trustees.

Board Oversight of Political Activities

McKesson’s Board of Directors and Governance Committee exercise oversight with respect to the company’s political activities, including lobbying efforts and expenditures pertaining to laws or regulations governing the distribution of controlled substances. The Senior Vice President of Public Affairs provides quarterly updates to the Governance Committee and full Board of Directors on such matters consisting of reports on public policy issues, political engagements, lobbying activity and corporate political contributions.

Lobbying Activities and Expenditures

McKesson believes in transparency regarding its lobbying activities. We file quarterly reports regarding our U.S. federal lobbying activities with the Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives and the Secretary of the U.S. Senate. These reports are available by searching for “McKesson Corporation” as a “Registrant” on the U.S. Senate's website. These reported expenditures list the aggregate dollar amount of McKesson’s U.S. federal lobbying activities. We also report our state lobbying activities where required by law.

In addition, McKesson publicly discloses the following information on a calendar year basis:

  • McKesson’s policy priorities and material federal and state lobbying efforts in the year, including with respect to laws or regulations governing the distribution of controlled substances
  • aggregate dollars spent by McKesson on external lobbying activities
  • aggregate dollars spent for external federal lobbyists, with a breakdown of names and payment ranges
  • aggregate dollars spent for external state lobbyists, with a breakdown of names, states and payment ranges

Please see our 2023 report (PDF, 156 KB) on lobbying activities. Our lobbying reports from prior years are available below.

McKesson’s Public Affairs team includes 7 members who are registered to lobby at the state or federal levels and primarily involved in managing our external lobbyists. During 2020, our Public Affairs team did not engage in grassroots lobbying communications. For purposes of this policy, “grassroots lobbying communications” means a communication directed to the general public that (a) refers to specific legislation or regulation, (b) reflects a view on the legislation or regulation and (c) encourages the recipient of the communication to take action with respect to the legislation or regulation.

Political Action Committee (PAC)

McKesson engages in the political process primarily through the McKesson Employees’ Political Action Committee (PAC). The mission of the PAC is to support candidates for federal and state office who understand our business and share our vision for the future of healthcare. Contributions made by the PAC are funded entirely by eligible McKesson employees on a voluntary basis. Such contributions are not made with corporate assets. The PAC allows employees to pool their financial resources to support federal, state and local candidates, political party committees, and political action committees. Eligible employees may choose not to participate without fear of reprisal.

PAC Oversight

PAC contributions are made in accordance with objective and consistent evaluative criteria. The activities of the PAC, which is governed by its own Board of Trustees, are subject to comprehensive regulation by federal and state governments, including detailed disclosure requirements. The PAC files monthly reports of receipts and disbursements with the Federal Election Commission (FEC), as well as pre-election and post-election FEC reports. Click here for the FEC database of PAC contributions and enter “McKesson Corporation Employees Political Fund” or “Committee ID: C00108035.”

Corporate Political Contributions

While the McKesson Employees’ PAC is the primary vehicle for political engagement, the company does make a limited number of corporate political contributions at the state level where permitted by U.S. and state law. McKesson believes in transparency regarding political contributions and voluntarily discloses these corporate political contributions to state and local candidates, parties, committees, ballot measures, and political organizations on this website. This report is regularly updated when new contributions are made. This report also includes payments to entities organized under section 527 of the Internal Revenue Code (also known as “527 organizations”).

Please see for our 2023 report (PDF, 103 KB) on corporate political contributions. Links to reports for prior years also appear below.

Trade Associations and Other Tax-Exempt Organizations

As part of our engagement in the public policy process, McKesson participates in certain industry trade organizations representing the interests of the healthcare and broader business community with purposes that include, but are not limited to education about the industry, issues affecting the industry, and industry best practices and standards. We may not always support every position taken by our trade associations or the other members, however we believe our participation in these organizations makes us more effective and broadens our perspective on policy issues critical to our industry, our company, our customers and our communities. As a general matter, the trade associations of which McKesson is a member, like other membership directed organizations, are driven by consensus. Typically, no one member dictates priorities over the concerns/objections of other members. Our trade associations endorse those substantive positions where consensus has been reached, however, we may recuse ourselves from an activity or initiative when appropriate or when we have a divergent point of view.

We evaluate our trade associations based on several criteria, such as:

  • Executing on industry priorities and effectiveness of these efforts
  • Managing resources and allocating resources to industry priorities
  • Assessing trade group’s reputation with elected/government officials and peer organizations
  • Approach to representing and communicating about our industry
  • Understanding and knowledge about the industry now and into the future
  • Reporting updates on a timely basis with solid analytical skills and value-add information
  • Responsiveness to company and other members
  • Accuracy of assessing current issues and issues on the horizon facing our industry
  • Quality of the work and meeting member expectations about work product
  • Ability to retain talented employees

We prohibit trade associations, and other tax-exempt organizations such as 501(c)(4)s, from using our corporate funds for political contributions. We inform these organizations in writing of our policy prohibiting the use of our corporate funds for these purposes and seek confirmation of their adherence to our policy. In 2020, the health policy, 501(c)(4) and/or trade organizations to which we belonged or contributed, and to which our annual payments exceeded $25,000, included the following:

  • American Association for Homecare
  • American Health Care Association
  • American Pharmacies Services Corp.
  • Association for Health Care Resource & Materials Management
  • Business Roundtable
  • Columbus Partnership
  • Community Oncology Alliance
  • Council for Post-Acute Care
  • Future of Infusion Advisory Council
  • HDA Research Foundation
  • Health Industry Distributors Association
  • Health Innovation Alliance
  • Healthcare Distribution Alliance
  • Healthcare Leadership Council
  • International Federation of Pharmaceutical Distributors
  • Lincoln Healthcare Leadership
  • Mississippi Independent Pharmacies Association
  • National Association of Chain Drugstores
  • National Association of Community Health Centers
  • National Community Pharmacists Association
  • Pharmaceutical Care Management Association
  • Pharmaceutical Product Stewardship Work Group
  • Pharmacy Quality Alliance

We request information regarding annual lobbying spend from the organizations listed above where we are members. Based on the information they provide, we disclose the aggregate dollars each of those organizations spent on lobbying activities from the dues we paid them each calendar year.

We are a member of and make payments to certain health policy, 501(c)(4) and/or trade organizations because they draft and support model legislation for purposes of advancing healthcare issues consistent with our public policy priorities. We disclose annually the names of and amounts paid to each of those organizations.

Please see our 2020 report (PDF, 173 KB) on lobbying activities.

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