Posted: September 18, 2012 at 9:29 pm
Bullock-Hill Debate Recap
Tonight, the first of seven debates between former Congressman Rick Hill and Steve Bullock was held in Helena. Lot’s of interesting fodder for discussion.
Before we get to the meat of the matter, it’s worth noting that Libertarian candidate Ron Vandevender was not even allowed to participate in the debate, which was hosted by the Helena IR. It makes one wonder why Hill is so afraid of sharing the stage with a fellow conservative.
As anyone with a Twitter account is already aware, there was much discussion tonight of Hill’s decision to leave his lectern and wander all around the stage. Word on the street is there was a bit of a kerfuffle before the debate between Hill, his campaign manager and the editor of the IR. The campaign was rumored to be upset that Hill’s lectern might have been “taller” than Bullock’s, which could explain the aimless maundering.
Anyway, the bigger news of the night is Hill’s blatant refusal give a simple answer to how much money he made chairing and serving on various insurance industry boards. Under Hill’s tenure, these boards raised rates as much as 36 percent on Montana families.
It’s public information that Congressman Hill made hundreds of thousands serving on the Board of Directers of Blue Cross Blue Shield. Not because the part-time Californian provided the info, but because the company is required by law to disclose such things to retain its “non-profit” status. However, Hill won’t say what he was paid as a board member of and consultant to Blue Cross’s lucrative for-profit subsidiary insurance companies. These for-profit subsidiaries, including Western States Insurance, HealthEWeb, and others, aren’t required to disclose their executive compensation packages–even though they are wholly owned subsidiaries of the “non-profit” Blue Cross.
This screenshot for the website of Blue Cross’s Health-e-Web Inc. lists Hill as a board member. The other subsidiaries don’t even list their board members online, little alone how much their big-wigs make to sit around munching paninis and reading glossy memos. Probably, he made big bucks. Blue Cross just sold Western States Insurance to an out-of-state company. The new company is worth $90 million.
Back in February when Hill was asked on the Aaron Flint show whether he would disclose this information, he said:
“We will release that to the media, I will have all of that gathered together. I haven’t finished my tax returns, yet. Over the next few weeks, you know, we will provide that information to the public. The public is entitled to know about it.”
Apparently not. When Steve Bullock asked Hill to disclose how much his income went up during the rate hikes, Hill refused. Instead, Hill tried to escape the question by claiming to have disclosed what was already public information anyway–the Blue Cross cash. He refused to mention the more gainful for-profit subsidiary companies.
Pasted below the fold is a transcript of Hill refusing to disclose the info tonight’s debate–and a transcript of Hill claiming on Flint’s show to be willing to disclose the facts before he was against it.
Please consider this post an open forum to discuss the debate.
Bullock: Congressman Hill, you’ve served on the Boards of Directors, even as chairman, of many health insurance companies. While you were an executive with these corporations, they raised premiums year after year in Montana, sometimes as much as 36%. But despite the rates going up, likely you saw compensation go up year after year. You said in February on a statewide radio program that you would release exactly how much you made during your tenure and activities with all of these different insurance companies In fact, in February you said you would release it in the next few weeks, and you said the public has a right to know. Since you haven’t done so yet and it’s been seven months, do you no longer think that the public has a right to know that, and if so when are you going to release it.
Hill: As you know Steve, the Board fees that I receive, I served on the Board of Directors for Blue Cross Blue shield, are published every year. In fact I think your office overlooks that, and so anybody can go online and see how much compensation I have received as a member of the Board of Directors of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana. There’s not a single occasion where the Board of Directors of Blue Cross Blue Shield approved a rate increase of 36%. As a matter of fact, what we did is we tried to manage our investments to a point so that we would actually plan on no profit whatsoever from the sale of health insurance, and if you look at the history of Blue Cross and Blue Shield, which is a not-for–profit entity, I think the profit margin over the lifetime of the plan is something around a half a percent. Today, Blue Cross Blue Shield as we all read in the paper is struggling with the economic conditions that have been driven by the changing tide in terms of health care and health insurance, and I think it’s a tragedy that we’re probably going to lose having that entity that’s been here for a very long time in our community. But they have no choice, they’re going to have to associate with a larger company in order to sustain themselves. You know, the people who served on that Board are some of the more prominent businesspeople and some of the more prominent health care professionals in the state of Montana, and every one of us went on that Board saying what can we do to try to lower the cost of health insurance and make it more affordable for the people in the state of Montana. I’m proud of the service that I had on that Board, every day I went there with that idea in mind, everybody on that Board will tell you that I was a driving force bringing down the administrative costs by tens of millions of dollars for Blue Cross and Blue Shield during this tenure. And so as a consequence of that, I think it’s unfair of you to criticize me for my service for a not-for-profit entity that is providing quality services to so many Montanans.
VOICES OF MONTANA – 2/9/2012
VOICES OF MONTANA HOST: Let me take an e-mail, it says, Mr. Hill you sit on a board of a not for profit business, Blue Cross Blue Shield. What is your total compensation for that and consulting you do for subsidiaries of Blue Cross Blue Shield.
HILL: You know I don’t serve on the Board for Blue Cross Blue Shield.
VOICES OF MONTANA HOST: Did you?
HILL: I did.
VOICES OF MONTANA HOST: When did you stop that?
HILL: Last June I stepped off of the board, obviously there could be a conflict of interest being a candidate for office and sitting on that.
VOICES OF MONTANA HOST: What about their subsidiaries?
HILL: They have, I am about to answer the questions, I served on the board of Blue Cross Blue Shield, I chaired, they have a holding company that oversees their for profit subseries, I chaired that board. I chaired the board for one of those for profit subsidiaries, large business that has branch offices all over Montana, Idaho, Washington, and Oregon. There are two other subsidiaries, one that markets ancillary products and one that does the collection of data for insurance claims all over the country. I served on those boards as well. Then I served on multiple committees of all of those boards. I was pretty active involvement, I haven’t sat down to total all of that up. But I will be putting that together and releasing that to the public.
VOICES OF MONTANA HOST: You will?
HILL: Yeah, absolutely. There is no reason the public shouldn’t know about it.
VOICES OF MONTANA HOST: That will be released on your website I am sure.
HILL: We will release that to the media, I will have all of that gathered together, I haven’t finished my tax returns yet. Over the next few weeks you know we will provide that information to the public, the public is entitled to know about it.
Heard it was a great debate but didn’t get to go. Heard Rick Hill was asked what he thought the greatest law enforcement related problem is and he supposedly said “medical marijuana” and the crowd started laughing. But Hill didn’t mean it as a joke, the dude was serious.
Also of note were Hill’s anti-union remarks. Hill said he was in favor of “right-to-work” which means decimating labor unions. The Right to Work movement has ties to American Tradition Partnership, formerly Western Tradition Partnership, in that they have shared some of the same founding members in western states and seem to back a similar crew of GOP candidates.
I would more accurately describe the response Hill got to that remark as “booing”–well, boo’s after the the laugh at how stupid the remark was. Hill was ranting something about “priority-based budgeting” which is his buzzword for how he’ll justify kicking old-ladies out on the street or cutting of their heat this winter. Bullock was the clear winner.
HEY, Marky Ratco had “en libra”, whatEVER in the hell THAT means! Pubbie think tanks come up with some very, very wierd shit! And no one ever calls them on it.
En libra, fancy word for fascist BULLshit! Hill’s en libra moment appears to be his fantasy based budgeting!
http://www.azdeq.gov/environ/water/watershed/download/enlibra.pdf
Racicot was the head of the American Insurance Association after he became governor–basically the head DC lobbyist for the entire insurance industry. I think a lot of people forget that. The Montana Republican Party has very strong ties to the insurance industry, and protecting insurance execs really is a sacred cow for them.
Here’s Racicot defending AIG’s massive financial industry ponzi scheme that was largely responsible for the financial crash of 2008. What a guy!
http://www.propertycasualty360.com/2008/09/17/no–domino-effect–from-aig–iiaba-says
Good catch, Ben. Great link!
The last thing we need is another insurance industry lapdog. Hill wants to allow insurance companies to discriminate against women, by charging us more for the same health insurance that men get. He’s on the record saying he supports it, just like his insurance industry colleagues want him to–not to mention his own increased profits.
What’s the GOP talking point? That health care will make you smoke pot until you turn gay, but that insurance executives are a swell bunch!
Hill :
Hill admits he was heavily involved and is on the record saying he will address the questions about his compensation–until he refused. From the transcript of Voices of Montana:
“I am about to answer the questions, I served on the board of Blue Cross Blue Shield, I chaired, they have a holding company that oversees their for profit subseries, I chaired that board. I chaired the board for one of those for profit subsidiaries, large business that has branch offices all over Montana, Idaho, Washington, and Oregon. There are two other subsidiaries, one that markets ancillary products and one that does the collection of data for insurance claims all over the country. I served on those boards as well. Then I served on multiple committees of all of those boards.”
Maybe they’ll get “leaked”
http://www.businessinsider.com/romney-fundraising-video-leak-2012-9
The remark that summed it all up for me was when Bullock pointed out that Hill was is “looking in the rear-view mirror of what Montana was 40 years ago,”
Hill’a ideas would put our education system back 40 years, our economy, the role of women in the workforce and in society. We’d move backward in stead of continuing our progress. No thanks.
so…. your big reason to elect a democrat is health insurance? ok. done. lets have the election on those terms. Bullock was already tied to Obamacare enough.
HEY, how long you been a’suckin’ off’n the hated Unca SUGARtit, cupcake? For you see, you got gubmint tit sucker writ LARGE all OVER you, dude! You see, for ALL average folks out there, health care IS the major concern in their lives at the moment. It is ONLY retired teatarded gubmint titty suckers like you and Alfred E. Newman who are able to say, “what, me worry”?
Yes, you’re an obvious dipshit, dipshit. BTW, loser, I AM the cowgirl!
bwhahahahahahhahahahahaha!
Get it? I AM the Cowgirl! Why you so worried ’bout who the Cowgirl is, titty boy? There’s a little cowgirl in ALL of us posters!
According to Hill’s own statement, the only insurance industry shill in the debate was him! If you want to pay more taxes so Rick Hill can give tax breaks to Blue Cross et al, he’s your guy.
Excellent job Steve Bullock! You will make a great next Governor!! Couldn’t wait for the debate in Butte so I drove over tonight. Definitely worth the drive.
Actually I believe the plural of panini is “panini” the singular would be “panino.”
Great picture of Rick. He looks like he is constipated.
This is a great picture. I would caption it. “Rick Hill begins to realize the debate is not going his way.”
He’s thinking “somebody get me a stapler” I need to throw something at somebody.
Oops, my quotation marks were intended to be around the entire end of the caption.
Are there going to be any debates in eastern Montana? Sidney? How do I find out where and when they are going to have the next debates? Thanks, Ely
Anyone who says that Bullock won the debate is an outright liar. If you really want your candidate to win, the least you could do is tell them the truth so they can improve! Bullock got straight up owned last night. If the most you can do is make fun of Rick Hill’s height and act like he’s hiding PUBLIC INFORMATION, then you’re only further setting Bullock up to lose. So anyway…keep doing what you’re doing.
Bulloch not only won the debate, he won hands down. Hill wouldn’t even answer the questions! GO BULLOCH WALSH!
Please…tell me more about this mysterious “Bulloch.” If he’s anything like he sounds, he must be amazing. It’s too bad Steve Bullock can’t be more like this fictional “Bulloch” debate winner you speak of. I always thought Democrats were at least good for spelling, gramar, and other “liberal arts” that they can utilize to be condescending. I guess not.
While I understand the issue you are talking about (something Mizoola Democrap apperently doesn’t), that is hardly the only issue of the debate. Was there any media coverage of the debate so I can gauge for myself what happened?
This was the article in the Butte Standard
http://mtstandard.com/news/state-and-regional/bullock-hill-exchange-barbs-over-supreme-court/article_1eb876df-b7c0-5677-8776-b5e7bc549d45.html
One thing this article doesn’t mention is how the audience, which was prohibited from applauding, burst into spontaneous cheering when Bullock said he would stand up against the war on women. That was one of the highlights of the night it seems.
Ah yes… the “war on women.” We all know from our experiences with other fictional “wars” like the “war on drugs” and the “war on terror” and the “war on Christmas,” that these “wars” are worthy of old Gov BS’s VETO brand. A war on women? Give me a break. How about the war Democrats have waged upon unborn children? That’s a war with millions of tragic casualties. Not forcing religious institutions to subsidize their employees’ sex life hardly constitutes a war.
You’re just SO righteeeous, dufus!
bwhahahahahahahahahahahahaaa!
Can I touch your robe?
What a sanctimoanieeus DINK!
You see, dipstick, no one really wants to believe exactly like you do. And that’s called freedom, little dude. Freedom of religion. Ever heard of it? You’d be better off in a theocracy somewhere’s. I hear that Afghanistan is nice this time of year!
Good Read
http://nymag.com/news/frank-rich/right-wing-media-2012-9/
You mention Western States Insurance was sold to an out-of-state company. That is incorrect. WSI has merged with Payne Financial Group, another Montana based company to form an all employee owned company.
The truth is I am tired of all the old unconcerned out for your self politicians that have no friggin clue what it takes to bust your ass everyday to make ends meet and we have to pay for it. I think they should all be voted out and new come in, especially those with no agenda other than making common sense discussions about how to make life better for all. I work hard for all that I have, no raise in 4 years due to legislative bullshit, my insurance continues to rise and no cost of living increase, and Hill thinks I am going to vote for someone who is on their side, fuck no, I am just tired of the same old shit of promise and no action, I say all old out and new in, have discussions that matter and get on with serving the people who elect you. As for ” obamacare” does anyone really know the details, because I have heard only the bits the news wants to bash on both sides, I will not post my opinion on something that no one can clearly explain what the details are. I say if you want a polotition that works for the same companies that rip you off then Hill is your man.