Healthcare and insurance industries fuel Florida GOP (Jeb's payoff)

[seafan]

Posted without comment...


Health, insurance cash fuels state GOP

January 12, 2006
Jason Garcia and John Kennedy | Tallahassee Bureau

TALLAHASSEE -- The health-care and insurance industries pumped nearly $1.5 million into Florida's Republican Party even as Gov. Jeb Bush and the GOP-controlled Legislature launched dramatic changes to the way the state cares for poor, elderly and disabled patients, new campaign-finance reports show.

The Republicans also raised nearly $800,000 from all industries during the single week in December when lawmakers were meeting in a special session to overhaul the Medicaid program and write rules for Broward County slot machines, among other issues, according to the reports made public Wednesday.

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A review of campaign-finance reports by the Orlando Sentinel showed that no other industries contributed more to the Republican Party than health care and insurance, both of which were at the center of the controversial plan to revamp Medicaid.

Spurred on by Bush, the Legislature last month approved a plan to give managed-care organizations a bigger role in health care for the poor. Supporters said the changes -- which will begin with 210,000 low-income Floridians in Broward and Duval counties, but which backers hope to eventually spread statewide -- will help hold down spending on Medicaid, a $15 billion-a-year program that currently absorbs almost a quarter of the state's $63 billion budget.

Under the Republican governor's plan, money the state now pays directly to doctors and hospitals who provide service to Medicaid patients would instead be parceled out largely through HMOs and other networks. Many of the companies that gave are expected to compete for new, Medicaid-related contracts.

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HCA, the nation's largest for-profit hospital chain, donated $60,000 through a trio of committees.

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http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/state/orl-campaign1206jan12,0,4571620.story?coll=orl-news-headlines-state

[seafan]

1. " No correlation between the special session & our fundraising.."

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The extensive contributions concerned some critics of the Medicaid overhaul, many of whom have argued that the changes will benefit health-care companies more than patients.

"The insurance and health-care industries are in business to make money," said Karen Woodall, a lobbyist who represented low-income Floridians in last month's Medicaid debate. "They obviously thought it might be beneficial to them to give to the party with all the changes taking place. Apparently Florida's . . . Medicaid recipients didn't get their contributions in on time."

People and businesses with a stake in another piece of high-profile legislation approved in December -- rules for slot machines in Broward County -- also contributed heavily during the past three months.

Pari-mutuels, a horse-racing political committee and the Seminole Tribe, which operates casinos around the state, combined to give the GOP more than $265,000, even as many party leaders, including Bush, warned against expanding the industry.

Bush was among those Wednesday downplaying any connection between campaign dollars and the decisions made in December.
"I'd be concerned if you could prove a direct link between policy and giving," Bush said. "Suggesting is not good enough. You've got to prove it."

Likewise, contributors said their donations had little to do with legislation.

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"I don't think you can draw any correlation between our fundraising and the special session," said Andy Palmer, the Florida GOP's executive director for political affairs. "But our party has been very successful. And success breeds success."