Street Roots • June 30-July 6, 2017
News
Page 7
Protesters take
insurance giant
to task over GOP
health care bill
Disabled activist, allies, hold
Regence BlueCross BlueShield
accountable for donations to
proponents of the plan
BY EMILY GREEN
S T A F F W R IT E R
P H O T O S B Y E M IL Y G R E E N
Allen Hines, seated, delivers a message along with a receipt fo r the millions o f people expected to lose insurance under
the GOP health plan to Regence BlueCross BlueShield, which has donated to the campaigns o f many o f the p la n s
authors. Below, a protester outside Regence notes the support by pharmaceutical companies to Senate Majority Leader
Mitch McConnell, a champion o f the GOP health care bill.
group of about 20 disabled activists
and their allies and service providers
stormed Regence BlueCross
BlueShield of Oregon in downtown Portland
to defeat Measure 97, a corporate tax that
Monday to deliver a receipt for the millions of
would have gone, in part, to fund health care.
Americans that would lose coverage under
“I work with a lot of people to receive
the Republican health care bill.
support in the home,” Hines said. “With the
The receipt tallied campaign donations the
state budget deficit and AHCA, we may be
insurance company’s federation, Blue Cross
facing a lot of cuts to services.”
Blue Shield Association, made to Republican
Tess Raunig also fears losing services.
members of Congress charged with drafting
Raunig appeared at the dem onstration in a
the health care bill that would replace the
wheelchair carrying a sign that said, “Choose
Affordable Care Act, or “Obamacare.”
people over profits.”
According to the Congressional Budget
Until about two years ago, Raunig spent
Office, 22 million people will lose their health
hours each day on personal care tasks. But
care coverage over the next 10 years if the
after going through a long and extensive
bill passes. This includes 15 million people on qualification process, Raunig was able to get
Medicaid, which covers disabled and elderly
help with transportation to doctor
Americans who have no other resources to
appointments, cooking, cleaning and personal
pay for health coverage.
care.
Allen Hines and Maig Bergio are the
If Obamacare is replaced with the GOP
organizers behind Monday’s demonstration
heath care plan, Raunig fears in-home service
and the activists leading the Coverage
providers will be replaced with nursing home
Defense Committee.
living.
The committee is a group of Portlanders
“I’m too young to live in a nursing home,”
who either receive Medicaid and Medicare
Raunig said. “It’s proven it’s cheaper to have
services or provide those services to the
people living in their own homes with
people who need them.
community support.”
Hines, a quadriplegic, said that if the GOP
Once inside the lobby of the building that
health care plan passes, he’d lose services
houses Regence at 100 SW Market St., Hines
he’s come to rely on.
and Bergio asked the reception desk if
Under Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion,
someone from the insurance company could
many Oregonians with disabilities began to
be called to come down and receive the
receive in-home services from care providers
receipt.
that were previously inaccessible to them.
After protesters waited for about 10 to 15
Many of these services greatly improve their
minutes, a security guard informed them that
quality of life while allowing them to remain
they needed to wait outside of the building,
but they refused to leave.
in their homes.
Protesters attempted to give the security
If that expansion is rolled back under
guard the receipt, but he refused to take it.
congressional Republicans’ bill, many of the
When activists said they would be happy to
attendees at Monday’s protest fear those
come back another day when someone from
services will be taken away, forcing people
Regence would be available to talk to them,
with disabilities into institutional living
the guard said he could take down a phone
situations or worse - dying from lack of
number and someone from Regence would
health care.
call them. But the activists said the needed to
That was the message behind the receipt
deliver the receipt.
activists were delivering to Regence
The security guard said he would have no
BlueCross BlueShield and Cambia Health
choice but to call the police.
Solutions, of which Regence is a subsidiary.
The group waited, but instead of police
“Cambia was one of the top five spenders
showing up to arrest a small group of disabled
against Measure 97,” said Hyung Nam, a
activists, three in wheelchairs, and their
social studies teacher attending the
allies, Regence’s media spokesperson, Jared
demonstration.
Ishkanian, came down to listen to the group.
Cambia Health Solutions donated $550,000
A
Ishkanian took the
receipt, and after
listening to a heartfelt
plea from Hines, said
he would share the
group’s message with
Regence.
On th e receipt the
activists presented,
they included
donations made to
U.S. Rep. Greg
Walden (R-Oregon).
Since 2014, Cambia
and Regence has
donated $12,500 to
the congressman
representing Eastern
Oregon.
Ishkanian clarified
in an email to Street Roots that dollar
amounts corresponding with U.S. Senate
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and others
listed on the receipt he was presented with
do not represent what Cambia Health
Solutions and Regence donated to the
politicians.
Blue Cross Blue Shield is largest payer
group in the U.S., consisting of dozens of
independent, locally-operated franchises.
These companies have various political action
committees across the country bearing the
Blue Cross Blue Shield name.
While Blue Cross Blue Shield has donated
$72,500 to McConnell, he received just
$2,500 in donations directly from Cambia
Health Solutions, according to OpenSecrets.
org.
McConnell’s top industry donors include
pharmaceuticals and health products
($387,701) and hospitals and nursing homes
($353,700), according to FollowTheMoney.
org. He also, however, has more than $15
million in “uncoded” contributions, which are
unknown or not yet assigned contributions.
Ishkanian did not respond to a request for
Cambia and Regence’s position on the GOP
health care plan by press time.
emily@streetroots. org