Iowa Democratic Party Chair Troy Price Sheds Light On Governor Kim Reynolds Receiving Campaign Donations from Medicaid MCO, Before Granting Them $100M

Governor Kim Reynolds, the “Ethically Challenged” Career Politician, Received Thousands In Campaign Donations From Anthem Insurance, The Parent Company of Amerigroup

Amerigroup Has Made Headlines For Denying Crucial Coverage For Vulnerable Iowans, Including Medical Equipment For Disabled Iowans And Doctor-Recommended Mental Health Care

On Monday, September 17, Iowa Democratic Party Chair Troy Price detailed the latest pay-for-play scandal from “ethically challenged” Governor Kim Reynolds. Between December 13, 2017 to August 22, 2018, Governor Reynolds received $2,500 in contributions from Anthem Insurance, which owns Amerigroup, one of the two private companies currently managing Iowa’s privatized Medicaid program.

The most recent and largest campaign contribution occurred just two days before the Reynolds’ Administration announced that the two private companies managing the state’s $5 billion Medicaid program – Amerigroup and UnitedHealthCare – would receive a 7.5 percent raise, over $100 million, from the state budget. Amerigroup has made headlines for denying crucial coverage for vulnerable Iowans, including medical equipment for patients who need it and doctor-recommended mental health care.

“Everyone knows privatized Medicaid is an abject failure. People are suffering and in some cases dying. All across Iowa we hear these heartbreaking stories. Yet, rather than putting a stop to this suffering, Governor Reynolds has doubled down at every turn and now we know why – these corporations that are getting our tax dollars are kicking them back to her campaign” said Iowa Democratic Party Chair Troy Price. “On issue after issue, Governor Reynolds is showing that you have to pay if you want to play with her Administration. It’s time for real, honest leadership once again in Iowa, and that is what we will have when Fred Hubbell and Democrats win this November.”

This isn’t Governor Reynolds first ethical scandal as governor. Just last week theAssociated Press reported that Governor Reynolds and her family flew to a football game in Tennessee on a private jet owned by a state vendor with millions of dollars’ worth of contracts in front of the state. Last year, the AP also reported that “for her first trip across Iowa as governor, Republican Kim Reynolds sought and accepted the free use of a jet owned by a wealthy businessman who is lobbying for state approval to build a lucrative casino.”

In August, the Des Moines Register found Governor Reynolds, then state senator, failed to report she was being paid by a company that then landed a nearly $500,000 annual government contract.

Chair Price stood today with individuals who shared their stories of how Medicaid privatization has affected their own lives and the lives of their loved ones.

Kim Reynolds and Amerigroup Timeline

December 13, 2017: Anthem/Amerigroup donates $1,000 to Kim Reynolds for Iowa [IECDB]

May 2018: Reynolds Administration enters contract negotiations with Amerigroup and UnitedHealthCare for the 2018 fiscal year [WHO, 5/3/18]

August 22, 2018: Anthem/Amerigroup donates $1,500 to Kim Reynolds for Iowa [IECDB]

August 24, 2018: Reynolds Administration agrees to 7.5% raise, over $100 million of Iowa taxpayer dollars, for Amerigroup and UnitedHealthCare despite widely reported denials of care. [Des Moines Register, 8/24/18]