Insurance Industry Gave $86 Million to Chamber of Commerce to Oppose Health Care Bill

Back to News

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Insurance Industry Gave $86 Million to Chamber of Commerce to Oppose Health Care Bill

While the health insurance industry publically negotiated with Congress last year over the shape of the healthcare reform law, it secretly funneled more than $86 million to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce so it could criticize ideas, such as creating a government-run insurance plan, it did not like.

Companies used a group called America’s Health Insurance Plans to fund the Chamber’s campaign attacking the Democrats’ proposal for overhauling the medical delivery system.

“Clearly the secrecy was important to industry,” Sheila Krumholz, executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics, told Bloomberg News. “Eighty-six million dollars is an astonishing sum.”

The $86.2 million spent by America’s Health Insurance Plans was more than its entire budget from a year earlier, and it accounted for 40% of all Chamber expenditures in 2009.

-Noel Brinkerhoff

Insurers Gave U.S. Chamber $86 Million Used to Oppose Obama's Health Law (by Drew Armstrong, Bloomberg)

Health Insurers' Group Gave U.S. Chamber $86.2 Million in 2009 for Lobbying (by Dan Eggen, Washington Post)

Comments

Mike 14 years ago

With the sweaping change in House and nearly the Senate. It appears from www.BenefitsManager.net analysis that employers nationwide wide that GRANDFATHERED their health plan stand a better chance to weather whatever the Republicans can repeal in employer burden with health care reform. It is still likely that employers will still incure a penalty for every full time employee that refuses coverage. The penalty being $2,000. If you can GRANDFATHER your renewals this January you should do so to protect your backside.

Name

Content

Insurance Industry Gave $86 Million to Chamber of Commerce to Oppose Health Care Bill

Comments

Leave a comment