Health insurers love the idea of the Romney/Ryan plan to turn Medicare into a voucher system. They love it so much that they are rewarding all of the Republicans who voted for it, according to
new analysis by Public Campaign Action Fund (PCAF) and Health Care for America Now (HCAN).
A Romney-Ryan victory coupled with a Republican takeover of the Senate would boost health insurance company stock prices by 10 to 20 percent, according to Citigroup analyst Carl McDonald. Based on share prices on Aug. 18, the day McDonald published his report, a GOP sweep in Washington would quickly jack up the total market value of the 10 largest health insurers by $12 billion to $25 billion. [...]
- Current U.S. House Members who voted for Ryan’s budget plan to turn Medicare into a voucher program have received nearly twice as much insurance industry campaign cash this cycle as those who voted against the bill. Supporters of the bill have received at least $14 million this cycle from the industry while opponents received $7.4 million. [...]
- Eight of the top 10 recipients of insurance industry money this cycle are Ryan plan supporters – including every member of House Republican leadership.
The opposition members our Orange to Blue candidates received almost $1.05 million from the insurance industry this year, hoping to see the big boon that Medicare vouchers would mean for them. Among the big recipients:
- Bass, Charlie (NH-01): $70,250
- Duffy, Sean (WI-07): $99,812
- Fitzpatrick, Michael (PA-08): $96,000
- Gerlach, Jim (PA-06): $164,928
- Guinta, Frank (NH-02): $88,825
- Hayworth, Nan (NY-18): $190,856
- Renacci, Jim (OH-16): $105,685
- West, Allen (FL-18): $68,090
Insurance companies are banking on getting the Ryan plan enacted. This year alone they've given a combined $1.4 million to the four members of Republican leadership: Speaker John Boehner, Majority Leader Cantor, Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy and Conference Chair Jeb Hensarling. We need a backstop.
That means getting rid of these very reliable votes against Medicare and putting people who will protect it in the House, as all of the candidate endorsed by Daily Kos have pledged to do. It also means putting Nancy Pelosi back in the speaker's chair. We don't have the kind of money that the Medicare marauders have, but there are a lot more of us. We can fight back
Let's take back the House. Please donate $1 to all of our House candidates.