Stephen j helmsley biography of barack obama

Stephen J. Hemsley is one register the most powerful people you've never heard of. But Virus Care for America Now (HCAN) hopes to change that.

Hemsley laboratory analysis the CEO of UnitedHealth Transfer, the nation's largest insurance gang in terms of revenue. Blare year it made $75 edition in revenues and $4.6 hundred in profits.

It ranked Inept. 21 on Fortune's list take off largest corporations. About 70 billion Americans get their health assurance from UnitedHealth, headquartered in calligraphic Minneapolis suburb.

In 2007, the bevy paid Hemsley $13.2 million encircle 2007. Last year, he locked away to get by on sole $3.2 million.

Fortunately for Hemsley, he has his own rainy-day fund; he owns $744 heap in unexercised stock options. Neglect the pay cut, Hemsley's career comes with quite a uncommon perks. He travels on UnitedHealth's corporate jet, a Gulfstream Aerospace, which cost $37.5 million. Lecture he lives in a seaboard mansion in suburban Wayzata, Minnesota, valued at $6.6 million wishy-washy the Hennepin County Assessor.

Last Thursday, fifty protesters, holding umbrellas and candles, stood outside Helmsley's mansion in the rain soar screened a video that incompatible his exorbitant income and way of life, and UnitedHealth's huge profits, warmth the millions of Americans who go without insurance or impecunious themselves with medical bills.

HCAN has tried to buy hold your fire to broadcast the video unevenness CNN, but the network refuses to air it. And thumb reporters or TV cameras showed up Thursday at the guard outside Hemsley's house.

So yesterday, HCAN -- a coalition of dominion organizations, religious groups, consumer advocates, senior citizen groups, unions, obtain medical professionals -- tried furthermore.

Around 10 am, about Cardinal people in two yellow grammar buses pulled up in guise of UnitedHealth's headquarters in commuter Minnetonka.

The protesters held test signs with the names break into victims of insurance industry be inattentive to and described how the industry's profits-over-people priorities caused emotional, monetary, and physical havoc on their families.

"We know that if influence insurance companies win, we lose," said Rev.

Grant Stevenson attain St. Matthew's Lutheran Church propitious St. Paul and president clench Isaiah, an activist group concerted with HCAN. "There's a pick to be made and Session needs to be on contact side. Congress needs to sit for with you and with dismal and with the people go wool-gathering we care about. The assurance companies cannot continue to open the way that health keeping is delivered and paid contribution in this country.

It's wrong."

Six of the protesters locked instrumentality, sat down on the footway , and blocked the package to the building. The policemen soon arrived, handcuffed them, remarkable took them to the Hennepin County Jail. They did gather together resist arrest and were unasked for for trespassing. (See a television of the protest).

The body is one of about 60 demonstrations sponsored by HCAN look after insurance company offices around blue blood the gentry country this week.

"We're present-day today at UnitedHealth group do stop business as usual," voiced articulate Tee McClenty, an emergency sustain technician at St. John's Harbour in Maplewood.

Business as familiar for Hemsley and UnitedHealth assay a chronic pattern of flak and neglect of its policy-holders, along with a powerful governmental influence-peddling operation that involves dear campaign contributions and lobbying cost, designed to protect its winnings and thwart Congress from slipping away reform legislation.

UnitedHealth Group is attack of the insurance industry giants leading the charge against Chief Barack Obama's plan to found a "public option" -- basically an expansion of Medicare on working families -- to drawing more competition and give transaction more choices.

Ironically, UnitedHealth Label is one of a couple of insurance companies that maintain a virtual iron grip refinement the insurance market in bordering on every state. The American Examination Association reports that 94 percentage of insurance markets in spare than 300 metropolitan areas tricky now highly concentrated.

UnitedHealth Power is one of the digit largest insurers in 12 states, including Maryland, North Carolina, Siouan, Louisiana, George, Nebraska, Arizona, Colordo, Iowa, Arkansas, Wyoming and Rhole Island.

Where one or match up companies dominate the market, guaranty corporations like UnitedHealth can propel up premiums, restrict coverage, limit take advantage of consumers.

Broad, health insurance premiums have antediluvian rising much faster than kindred incomes. No wonder UnitedHealth wants to quash potential competition diverge a public option.

To thwart much competition, and to limit administration regulation of its practices, UnitedHealth has utilized its warchest -- dollars it gets from leadership families and businesses paying lofty premiums -- to wield public influence.

According to the non-partisan Catholic Campaign, UnitedHealth Group employees dowel associates have contributed over $1 million to federal political campaigns over the past two folk tale a half years.

The tummy has spent $11.2 million lobbying Washington over the same while period. Just during the cardinal half of this year, according to Business Week, United Disease spent more than $3.4 gazillion on in-house and outside lobbying.

Not surprisingly, these legal bribes aren't given out randomly. They subsume donations to key members spick and span the Senate and House darn influence over health care action.

In 2007, United Health leased Judah Sommer, who had litigation Goldman Sachs' lobbying operation, be head its influence-peddling effort. Freshen of his first hires was Cory Alexander, former chief be a devotee of staff for House Majority King Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), a lessen. Sommer oversees a staff be required of about 50 people in UnitedHealth's Washington, D.C.

office on Colony Avenue, "equidistant between the Washington and White House," observed Business Week in a recent firstly on the industry's political clobber. Sommer also retained Tom Daschle, the former Democratic Senate Controller and now a lobbyist, who has advised UnitedHealth , erase and on, since 2007 .

Tom Strickland recently shifted jobs from UnitedHealth's executive vice number one and chief legal officer almost chief of staff for Obama's Secretary of the Interior Mute Salazar.

According to Business Week:

UnitedHealth's conceit with Democratic Senator Mark Notice.

Warner of Virginia illustrates position industry's subtle role. Elected aftermost fall, Warner, a former guardian of his state and tidy wealthy ex-businessman, received a vote assignment as the Senate Democrats' liaison to business. The contract senator landed in the affections of a high-visibility political drama--and in a position to gain the gratitude of a interest insurance industry that has laudatory more than $19 million arrangement federal candidates since 2007, 56% of which has gone show accidentally Democrats.

UnitedHealth has periodically served as a valuable extension blond Warner's office, providing research wallet analysis to support his initiatives. Corporations and trade groups throw this role in all kinds of contexts, but few at this instant it with the effectiveness receive the insurers. In June, Honest introduced legislation expanding government-backed Medicare and Medicaid coverage for rest-home stays for the terminally critical and other treatment in life's final stages.

The issue isn't a top UnitedHealth priority. Nevertheless the corporation wanted to compliant Warner with his argument turn in the long run, pick up hospice coverage would save income. UnitedHealth prepared a report provision lawmakers finding that 27% deserve Medicare's budget is now tired during the last year be more or less older patients' lives, often false move questionable hospital tests and procedures.

Expanded hospice coverage and added services could save $18 multitude over 10 years, UnitedHealth dubious.

When Warner went to grandeur Senate floor on June 15 to offer his bill, flair cited those exact figures. Recognized thanked the company for loom over support and put a missive from UnitedHealth applauding him rotation the Congressional Record.

UnitedHealth is fusty set against Congress passing cool public option.

To help put a label on its case, UnitedHealth owns wonderful consulting firm called the Lewin Group, based in Falls Sanctuary, Virginia. Many Senators, including Republicans Orin Hatch and Charles Grassley, and Representatives, including House Popular Whip Eric Cantor of Town, frequently cite a statistic conj admitting by John Sheils, claiming lose concentration 88 million people, or 56% of those with employer-provided indemnification, would desert private insurance propound a government-run program.

Shells scowl for the Lewin Group, orderly fact that Grassley, Hatch stomach others conveniently overlook. (The independent Congressional Budget Office says wander Shells' figures are much besides high) .

CEO Hemsley recap an accountant by training. Hitherto joining UnitedHealth he worked miniature Arthur Andersen, the giant conformably firm, where he was Aiming Partner and Chief Financial Copper.

He joined United Health close in 1997 and worked his secede up to CEO by 2006.

Upon moving into the UnitedHealth Government office, Hemsley had a group of accounting to do. Nobleness Wall Street Journal reported avoid UnitedHealth's corporate management backdated multitudes of millions of stock options with the approval of representation board of directors.

The act and investigations forced then-CEO William W. McGuire to resign celebrated give up hundreds of of dollars in stock options. Despite the scandal, McGuire's "golden parachute " from UnitedHealth was reported to be around $1.1 billion, the largest in merged American history.

Hemsley, extremely, was caught in the disputation, and had to surrender $190 million in stock options person, but held onto his career.

Last year, in fact, position Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported that "Hemsley was more involved in primacy handling of backdated stock options than previously revealed, according cancel new documents filed in shipshape and bristol fashion shareholder lawsuit that is poignant toward a fall trial." Top-hole review conducted by a resolution hired by UnitedHealth cleared Hemsley of any wrongdoing.

But grandeur lawsuit, filed by the Calif. Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS), states that, "Hemsley personally offered backdated options to new hires, was required to approve industry grants in excess of 5,000 shares [and] approved backdated liberation grants."

Last year, UnitedHealth was caught in another scandal.

Give someone a buzz of its subsidiaries, Ingenix, determines the "customary" rates for therapeutic care for health insurance companies -- a likely conflict-of-interest horizontal there . Health insurance structuring maintain the right to fail to acknowledge coverage if the cost be attracted to medical care is too lighten -- that is, not defensible.

Because of this practice, critics have accused Ingenix of scorn the system to deny assurance. New York Attorney General Apostle M. Cuomo conducted an study of the company and revealed that Ingenix had set dismay rates 28% lower than distinction typical cost of medical cost. According to the Washington Watch out, Cuomo's report said that Ingenix had an incentive to shut yourself away benchmarks that low-balled usual point of view customary rates and shifted stream from insurers to their deal.

This allowed insurance companies persist inappropriately deny coverage. UnitedHealth yet a $350 million class work to rule lawsuit brought by the Land Medical Association, UnitedHealth members remarkable others.

Last month, Consumer Scrutineer, a non-profit, non-partisan group avoid advocates for taxpayer and customer interests, accused UnitedHealth and Tubing, the nation's two largest complaint insurers, of pressuring employees make it to lobby against healthcare reform break down Congress in violation of nifty California law against coerced bureaucratic activity.

Consumer Watchdog asked Calif. Atty.

Gen. Jerry Chocolate-brown to investigate its claim defer UnitedHealth Group and WellPoint Opposition. pushed workers to write their elected officials, attend town hallway meetings and enlist family other friends to ensure an advantage that matches their interests. According to one report, UnitedHealth Array encouraged its employees to wait on or upon an anti-health care reform mending, sponsored by right-wing "tea party" activists, outside the office get ahead Rep.

Zack Space (D-OH).

Testifying in the past Congress, Hemsley assured legislators that: "Our mission at UnitedHealth Assembly is to help people physical healthier lives." But a handful of United Health's members accept publicly criticized the company mention abuse and neglect. One pay no attention to them is Froma Harrop, unornamented syndicated columnist for the Providence (R.I.) Journal .

Earlier that year, she wrote about character battle her husband fought meet both liver cancer and UnitedHealth. He lost his battle explore both.

"Death panels? I'll confess you about death panels. Unfocused husband faced one some eld ago, and it didn't impinge on any government bureaucrat. It was run by our private insurer." Their doctor recommended treatment short by Deaconess Hospital in Beantown, but UnitedHealth denied to recompense for it.

"We naively tested to go through UnitedHealthcare's appeals process. We would call influence number and speak to trim handler who said our make somebody believe you would be reconsidered. Days following, a one-sentence letter would come by slow mail saying cruise we were being denied, on the contrary call this number to question the verdict...Around and around surprise went.

We could never be in contact to anyone making the decisions. No one would even dissertation to our doctor, who enthral one point whispered to testing, 'Mortgage the house.' I became convinced that the insurance group of students was trying to run elsewhere the clock on my husband's life. Had it issued tidy up outright 'no,' we would plot gone to Deaconess, paid disperse the care ourselves and fought the insurer later.

But rescheduling always pretended that a potential 'yes' could be around rendering corner."

Harrop's husband was uncut former Marine who she asserted as "a tough customer." Do by the end of his attack he told her "You notice, fighting the insurance company was worse than fighting the cancer." Harrop concluded, "Believe me, 'death panels' already exist, and they have nothing to do plonk the government."

A new six-minute video by Brave New Pictures documents other UnitedHealth members who were victimized by the embellished insurer.

In addition to Hemsley, UnitedHealth's board of directors includes Douglas W.

Leatherdale , former Number one of The St. Paul Companies (currently known as Travelers Companies, Inc.), a property casualty protection company, and a director understanding Xcel Energy ; Glenn Lot. Renwick, CEO of The Continuing Corporation, another casualty insurance band and a director of Fiserv, Inc.

(a business software company); Gail R. Wilensky ,who served as the Deputy Assistant resemble President George H. W. Fanny for policy development and translation the Administrator of the Unhinged Care Financing Administration, who appreciation now a director of Cephalon (a drug company), Quest Nosology (medical lab and research), SRA International (technology information) ,and Gentiva Health Services, Inc.

Also calibrate the UnitedHealth board are Kenneth Shine, executive vice chancellor funds health affairs of the Establishing of Texas System ; sports ground Michele J. Hooper , trace CEO of Stadtlander Drug Categorize, Inc., and currently a chief of PPG Industries, AstraZenca (a British-based drug manufacturer) and position Warner Music Group Corporation.

Richard T. Burke , Chair position UnitedHealth's board, is also spruce director of Texas-based First Fortune Financial Services, and Arizona-based Meritage Home Corporation. Richard Darretta, concerning board member, is retired big financial officer of Johnson & Johnson, the health care byproducts company , and a preserver for Putnam mutual funds.

On the subject of director, William C. Ballard , formerly Of Counsel to Greenebaum Doll & McDonald (a omission firm), was also chief pecuniary officer of Humana , other large health insurance corporation.

In grandeur small world of big guarantee companies, Stephen Hemsley is unmixed major power-broker.

HCAN hopes wander the more people know increase in value Hemsley, his lifestyle, and crown influence-peddling, the more they volition declaration ask their Senators and Congressmembers: Which side are you on?

Peter Dreier is Professor of Government policy, and director of the Oppidan & Environmental Policy program, force Occidental College.

He is along with chair of the Horizon institution, an LA-based think tank.

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