Former Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) has crafted his political image as a populist leader. However, during his tenure, he has collected close to $400,000 from lobbyists and corporate PACs linked to major health insurance companies, based on FEC data analyzed by Breitbart News.
As he aims to return to politics this November, he is focusing on the high health insurance costs impacting residents in Ohio.
“Around half a million people in Ohio are dealing with insurance premiums that have doubled or even tripled. This is unacceptable for our residents,” he stated in November. “This issue stems from Jon Husted and his allies in special interests. Husted could have acted to reopen the government at any point in the past 40 days, but he’s done nothing to ease health care expenses.”
Brown is using these sentiments to critique Senator Jon Husted (R-Ohio), whom he is trying to unseat in the upcoming election.
Reflecting on the political landscape last September, Brown expressed concern that many politicians seem to be beholden to large corporations.
“The system feels rigged, and many voters believe it’s because politicians are tied to big business interests. Sadly, they’re correct,” he remarked.
However, the review by Breitbart News revealed that throughout his Senate career, Brown benefited from nearly $400,000 in contributions from corporate PACs and lobbyists representing major health insurance firms that gained from his advocacy for enhanced Obamacare subsidies. This includes funding from Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, Centene, and Aetna, directed toward Friends of Sherrod Brown, America Works PAC, or the Canary Fund.
Brown has received:
- $112,171.96 from UnitedHealth lobbyists;
- $107,514.05 from Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield lobbyists;
- $16,500 from the Blue Cross Blue Shield Corporate PAC;
- $47,650 from Aetna & CVS lobbyists;
- $7,000 from Aetna and CVS corporate PACs (post-merger);
- $22,170.18 from Cigna lobbyists;
- $6,500 from Cigna’s corporate PAC;
- $8,000 from Centene’s PAC;
- $9,650 from Molina’s lobbyists;
- $11,000 from Molina’s corporate PAC;
- $1,750 from a Kaiser Permanente lobbyist.
Beyond the backing from health care lobbyists, Brown’s support for enhancing Obamacare subsidies, known formally as the Enhanced Premium Tax Credit (EPTC), has sparked worries regarding inefficiencies, fraud, and the limitations of these subsidies in actually reducing healthcare costs.
In December, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report that indicated the expanded Obamacare subsidy program was plagued by inefficiencies and fraud.
As part of the analysis, GAO conducted an operation involving fictitious applicants who disproportionately obtained subsidies. Their findings predicted that by 2024, all false applicants would secure approval from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and 90% of fraudulent applicants would maintain coverage into 2025.
A representative for Husted noted that the senator is advocating for legislation aimed at eliminating fraud within the program and extending subsidies.
“Senator Husted is pushing for legislation designed to cut healthcare costs while also addressing fraud, extending subsidies, and preventing premium hikes for all,” the spokesperson mentioned. “It surprises me that there would be pushback against such a reasonable compromise.”
In the meantime, Senate Republicans are advocating for a bill that aims to reduce health insurance premiums by 11% through providing cost-sharing relief payments.
