U.S. Rep. Nancy Johnson Stuck Deep in the Pockets of Drug and Insurance Companies
Architect of Part D Fails to Level One Iota of Criticism of Plan or Implementation of Drug Benefit at Hearing Connecticut Congresswoman Chaired on Part D Today
Washington - U.S. Rep. Nancy Johnson (R-CT) today showed just how deep in the pockets of the drug and insurance companies she is as she chaired a hearing on the implementation of Part D during which she failed to level one iota of criticism of the plan or its implementation despite massive evidence that Part D has confused and frustrated seniors and that the private plans and Medicare have failed miserably in handling customer calls and inquiries. In fact, as Rep. Johnson was genuflecting for the drug and insurance companies which worked with her and former Rep. Billy Tauzin behind closed doors to draft the plan, the General Accounting Office (GAO) was releasing a scathing report which contradicted the effusive praise Johnson heaped on Part D. The GAO report found that:
- Written materials failed to comply with basic guidelines for good communications and were written at an educational level that rendered them unreadable by almost half of all seniors.
- The Medicare website was poorly designed and was so complicated that seniors were typically able to perform less than half of all simple tasks they attempted on the site.
- The 1-800-Medicare hotline provided inaccurate, incomplete, or inappropriate responses to one-third of basic questions.
- On one key question - which plan offered the lowest costs for individuals who take a given set of drugs - the Medicare hotline provided inappropriate, inaccurate, or incomplete answers almost 60% of the time.
The hearing today comes after months of anxiety and confusion for seniors and disabled Americans who have been forced to navigate the confusing labyrinth of plans, formularies, co-pays, deductibles and premiums which are a function of the corrupt process in which the law was written. In addition, the hearing comes less than two weeks before the arbitrary May 15th deadline for seniors and disabled Americans to enroll in Part D without penalty.
"It's not a bit surprising that Rep. Johnson would genuflect for the Bush Administration, for which she has become a rubber stamp, and for the drug and insurance companies which have showered her with political contributions to the tune of $2 million since 1989," said Americans United' Brad Woodhouse. "However, that she could sit there with a straight face and pretend that Part D has not experienced a single problem when the evidence shows that as many as 13 million seniors still lack drug coverage and that confusion and complication has reined for millions more shows just how out of touch she is with reality and her constituents.
"Like former Congressman Billy Tauzin who parlayed his influential role in writing Part D into a $2 million a year job representing drug manufacturers, Nancy Johnson has become a poster child for the type of systemic culture of corruption which has gripped Washington. In fact, while Rep. Johnson was working behind closed doors to craft a Part D plan that would line the pockets of drug and insurance companies, her pockets were and have been getting lined by big drug companies and the insurance industry. If Nancy Johnson wants to represent the drug and insurance companies she should cash out like Tauzin did and move on. If she wants to represent her constituents she should face up to the reality that for millions of seniors Part D has failed and must be fixed now."
According to Opensecrets.org, since 1989 Johnson has received over $2 million in campaign cash from Drug Companies/Health Products Industry ($642,530) and Insurance Industry ($1,358,149). In the 2003-2004 election cycle alone - the time during which Part D was being drafted and eventually signed into law - Johnson received more than $400,000 from these industries ($156,512 from Drug Companies/Health Products Industry, $244,732 from the Insurance Industry) - one fifth of the entire amount she has received since 1989.