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."
"If you're curious about why a majority of Americans support Medicare for All, here's exhibit A."
—Sen. Elizabeth WarrenWarren 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
