Bill Sponsors Top Recipients of Blue Cross Contributions

NC House bill would give insurance companies and other special interests control over healthcare reform implementation

The NC House Insurance Committee has taken up a controversial bill (H-115) that gives insurance companies a large role in overseeing how consumers will be able to buy “affordable” insurance coverage through a state-level “health benefits exchange” to be created under the new national health reform law.

The bill’s biggest supporter is Blue Cross and Blue Shield, NC’s largest insurance company. It gets to help name at least one representative to the new exchange. Notably, sponsors of the Insurance Exchange Bill are top recipients of Blue Cross contributions. Other reserved seats on the Exchange are being earmarked for other special interests and big donors of the bill’s sponsors.

No consumer groups or public health or health-related organizations have been designated seats on the exchange.

Download the full report, including top donors of Blue Cross donations here:

http://democracyncarchive.org/downloads/BlueCrossRecipients-4-2011.pdf