New Jersey hospitals spent more than any other industry in the state to lobby against funding cuts in 2013, according to a report released this week. Hospitals spent $4.5 million, 25 percent more than the previous years, to lobby against funding cuts to pay for the Affordable Care Act. In addition, NJ.com reports suburban and urban hospitals spent most of 2013 in a battle against each other over legislation that would allow local governments to impose a tax on hospital revenue for five years. Lobbying is necessary because the hospital industry is dependent on public funding, Rick Pitman, executive director of the Fair Share Hospital Collaborative, which represented 27 suburban hospitals to defeat the tax legislation, told NJ.com. "Lobbying is part of battling to get your fair share," he said. Article