Warren said the insurance giant has no right to demand massive taxpayer giveaways after making nearly $900 million in profits in the second quarter of this year.
by Jake Johnson
During a Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions hearing Thursday, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) slammed the insurance giant Anthem for threatening to pull out of state Obamacare exchanges if they're aren't lavished with "bigger tax cuts and more giveaways."
Warren highlighted the fact that Anthem pulled in $855 million in profits during the second quarter of 2017, more than half of which came from taxpayer-funded insurance programs like Medicare and Medicaid.
Despite their enormous profits, Warren said, "Anthem sent Congress a ransom note" demanding more taxpayer subsidies following the GOP's failed attempt to strip healthcare from millions of Americans—an attempt Anthem endorsed.
Insurance giant @AnthemInc sent Congress a ransom note: bigger tax cuts, or they’d pull out of more state health care exchanges.
— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) September 14, 2017
"If you're curious about why a majority of Americans support Medicare for All, here's exhibit A," Warren concluded.
In a Facebook post following the hearing, Warren wrote that if Anthem wants to "keep making huge profits from taxpayer money, they ought to be able to provide decent coverage through the [Affordable Care Act]."
Watch a video of Warren's exchange with Anthem executive Robert Ruiz-Moss:
Today I told an @AnthemInc VP: If they want to make huge profits off taxpayers, they ought to provide decent coverage through the ACA. pic.twitter.com/i6KU8bRKg2
— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) September 14, 2017
Originally appeared at Commondreams.org
Photo: Senate Democrats/Flickr/CC