State health plan politics
Submitted by James on Tue, 03/17/2009 - 3:06pm
From the good people at Democracy North Carolina via the N&O, which apparently doesn't have any reporters left to do this kind of work.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina donated $643,000 to state politicians from the 2000 election cycle through 2008, the election watchdog group Democracy North Carolina says. No other company the size of Blue Cross has donated more to state politics, the organization said in a news release today.
The political action committees of seven other companies, such as banks and utilities, have given more, but they are larger than Blue Cross and operate in multiple states.
Sen. Tony Rand, the Democratic majority leader and chairman of a Senate committee on employees' hospital and medical benefits, received $36,000 from Blue Cross, making him the top recipient, Democracy North Carolina said. The second highest recipient was Senate leader Marc Basnight, who received $35,000.
The story closes with this happy footnote:
Democracy North Carolina said that while the (state health) plan is in trouble, Blue Cross has a reserve fund in excess of $1.2 billion and gave its top six executives $10.5 million in salaries and bonuses in 2008.
Expect more of this
... more investigative journalism being done by pesky little non-profits as companies like McClatchy continue to shrink under the debt of their past acquisition binges. It's a crying shame that the professionals who do the real work of news gathering are falling like flies, while management skates.
Do good. Be nice. Have fun.
absolutely
I'm starting to think that these big nationally owned newspapers should just shut down and the whole model be reinvented with non profits like Democracy South, the Institute for Southern Studies, and the Center for Investigative Journalism taking up the real investigative work in partnership with the big national folks.
The Secret Money Project, a fantastic bit of investigative journalism from the 2008 election was done as a partnership between NPR and CIS and could serve as a model.
Related to budget woes
Tax scofflaws.
Do good. Be nice. Have fun.
I'm surprised to see donations to Perdue are so low
over the past 8 years. Pleasantly surprised.
Where is Jim Black's name? Surely he must be near the top of the list.
***************************
Vote Democratic, the ass you save may be your own.
While I am taking a big pay cut...
because of Senator Rand and his corporate sponsor, BCBS has what?
Jesus Swept ticked me off. Too short. I loved the characters and then POOF it was over.
-me
N&O
Forgive a little testiness here, but the N&O's capital team has not lost anyone in the current round of layoffs so far. (One of the Charlotte Observer reporters took a buyout during the last round and now works in D.C.) Yes, our newspaper is in a bind right now, but we remain as fully staffed as we've been since the election and committed to quality journalism. In fact, Democracy North Carolina wouldn't be looking into any campaign contributions from Blue Cross Blue Shield if the indomitable Dan Kane had not been fighting for a good long time to make details of that contract public.
Mourn us when we are gone, friends, not before.
RTB
The slow death quickens
Not just Sharif, but Stith, and the "synergy" of the combined reporting since the purchase of the Charlotte Observer.
Fair enough.
Thanks for the props for Dan. You're right. I shouldn't have taken that dig. In fact, I'm trying to be a supporter. The truth is, I'm sick about what's happening and had meant to direct my upset at the mismanagement, not the reporting staff.
So I'm glad you got a little testy. My apologies.
Do good. Be nice. Have fun.
I wonder......
Where the bulk of those Contributions went to? My Guess is the GOP! The Grand Obstructionist Party.
Anthony D. Hall,
Fighting for Truth, Justice, Freedom and the American Way!
More on Blue money
From NC Policy Watch.
Do good. Be nice. Have fun.
Thanks
For the link. I would agree with RTB and James that Dan did great work getting the BCBS contract. And I would say the nonprofits and blogs are doing a good job of analysis. It's going to take all of us to keep the politicos and corporations honest.
Blue Cross and the State Health Plan are certainly not mourning cuts at the N&O.