Schuette Campaign Releases Ad: ‘Whitmer Bought and Paid for by Big Insurance’

LANSING, Michigan, Oct. 19 -- Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette, a Republican running for Michigan Governor, issued the following campaign news:

The Bill Schuette for Governor campaign today announced a new statewide television ad that details how Democrat gubernatorial nominee Gretchen Whitmer fought for insurance executives, their profits, and her campaign bank account while seniors paid higher rates.

The television ad shows that Gretchen Whitmer took more campaign cash from Michigan's dominant health insurance company than any other candidate this decade while voting to end attorney general protections over rate increases on senior citizens, resulting in criticism from her Democrat opponents.

To view the ad, go to: www.youtube.com/watch?v=vueukABKGFo&feature=youtu.be

TRANSCRIPT

Gretchen Whitmer is bought and paid for by Big Insurance.

Taking more campaign cash from Blue Cross Blue Shield than any gubernatorial candidate in a decade.

Higher premiums for us.

Campaign cash for Whitmer.

We deserve better.

Bill Schuette voted to protect patients with pre-existing conditions.

And he took on Blue Cross Blue Shield to lower costs.

As Governor, Schuette will create jobs that provide better health insurance.

Bill Schuette fights hard for working families.

Whitmer Voted for Higher Premiums Results in Blue Cross Campaign Cash

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan's political action committee even made her their exclusive candidate for employee contributions, with instructions on how much each type of employee should give to Whitmer's campaign.

Whitmer put the health care for thousands of seniors at risk when she sided with major donor Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and voted to eliminate attorney general oversight for their Medigap health insurance plans. As a result, costs for seniors skyrocketed.

Whitmer, who has received the most money of any candidate for governor in the last 10 years from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, voted "yes" in 2013 for releasing insurer Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan from attorney general oversight on the rate-setting for its Medigap insurance plans. Medigap plans cover costs above and beyond what Medicare pays for Michigan seniors.

Schuette, meanwhile, successfully negotiated a five-year rate freeze for seniors' insurance rates and opposed Whitmer's votes on ending his ability to fight future rate increases.

"Gretchen Whitmer has no credibility on healthcare. Even her Democrat opponents called out her hypocrisy and described her as 'willing to sell her position' and 'bought off' by health insurance executives. She voted to eliminate protections for seniors by stopping me as Attorney General from contesting Medigap premium costs. Of course, as soon as I could no longer contest the rates, they shot through the roof, hurting Michigan seniors," said Schuette.

"When it comes to trusting the next Governor on health care, who should you believe? I negotiated a five-year rate freeze on senior health insurance while Gretchen Whitmer eliminated protections that resulted in massively higher costs for seniors."

As Schuette predicted at the time, after the vote costs for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan's Medigap plan premiums doubled.

Whitmer's Democrat opponents: Whitmer sides with insurance execs over residents

* "[F]ormer Detroit health director Abdul El-Sayed, who has frequently taken shots at Whitmer for being "bought off" by the state's largest health insurer." (Detroit Metro Times, 8/2/18)

* "Asked about that logic, El-Sayed's campaign said, "Senator Whitmer here clearly shows that Blue Cross Blue Shield has written her talking points on health care." (CNN, 8/7/18)

* El-Sayed on Whitmer: "[S]he's just a lot more interested in making sure her campaign has money. And she's willing to sell her position on it." (The Nation, 8/3/18)

Whitmer voted for legislation which ended Attorney General oversight of Blue Cross' Medigap insurance rate hikes.

The legislation allowed Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan to convert from a charitable corporation to a non-profit mutual corporation. In the years between 2014 and 2017, Medigap rates doubled for seniors. These higher rates came at the expense of Michigan's senior citizens who rely on retirement income for their expenses, putting their health and lives at risk.

Conversely, in 2011 Attorney General Schuette negotiated a five-year rate freeze on Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Medigap policy premiums to protect seniors at a time when Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan also sought to acquire a minority interest in Medicaid company AmeriHealth Mercy, allowing Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan to expand into the national Medicaid market. That rate freeze existed from 2011 - 2016.

Schuette has a 20-year record of supporting Pre-existing Conditions

Public Act 304 and 559, Senate Bill 748, 749 (2002) These bills provided protection for preexisting conditions with regard to Medicare recipients.

http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2001-2002/billanalysis/Senate/pdf/2001-SFA-0748-E.pdf

Public Act 7, Senate Bill 60 (1999) This bill prohibited BCBSM from denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions

http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/1999-2000/billanalysis/Senate/pdf/1999-SFA-0060-E.pdf

Public Act 472, 516, 517, House Bill 5571, 5572, 5573 1996. These bill prohibited BCBSM from excluding or limiting coverage for a preexisting condition for an individual covered under a group certificate, non-groups and HMO

http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/1995-1996/billanalysis/Senate/pdf/1995-SFA-5570-S.pdf