John Sununu's Health Insurance Links Raise Concerns in Senate Race
John Sununu's Connections to Health Insurance Industry Under the Microscope During Senate Campaign
As former U.S. Senator John Sununu reenters the race for a Senate seat, scrutiny of his ties to the health insurance industry has intensified. With rising healthcare costs dominating the current political landscape, these connections are raising questions among voters, particularly highlighted in a recent report.
John Sununu previously served in the Senate from 2003 until 2009 and has since been involved with the lobbying firm Akin Gump for nearly a decade. During his time at Akin Gump, the firm represented key players in the health insurance sector, advising companies like Liberty Mutual and Alameda Health Alliance while Sununu managed financial services lobbying efforts. A significant 2023 report from ProPublica reveals the lobbying activities of AHIP, a major insurance trade group represented by Akin Gump, which opposed an Obama-era regulation mandating insurers to publicly disclose claim denial rates—a rule that was ultimately scrapped during the Trump administration.
Moreover, Akin Gump's ties to UnitedHealth Group were also considerable during this period, as the firm was involved in guiding the company through substantial mergers and acquisitions valued at around $4 billion. A 2013 press release emphasized their role in this endeavor, which came on the heels of a congressional inquiry revealing that UnitedHealth and other insurers had denied coverage to 651,000 individuals over two years.
Additionally, recent allegations against UnitedHealth include high claim denial rates associated with an artificial intelligence system that reportedly had a 90% error rate, as documented by CBS News.
Sununu's legislative history further illustrates a pattern of support for insurance companies, most notably through his endorsement of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) in 2017. Promoted in a CNBC op-ed, this law lowered the corporate tax rate to 21%, potentially increasing the national deficit by $1.5 trillion by 2034. Following the enactment of the law, UnitedHealth reported a $1.2 billion benefit due to a favorable tax revaluation.
In 2022, Sununu also backed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB), which not only extended the 21% corporate tax rate but also proposed $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid. This legislation could have implications for approximately 29,000 residents of New Hampshire reliant on the program.
Earlier in his political career, Sununu cosponsored a bill in 2008 that would have permitted insurers to deny coverage for individuals with preexisting conditions. In the face of these connections and policies, Sununu's Democratic rival, Representative Chris Pappas, is currently leading in the polls, holding a five-point advantage, according to a New York Times/Siena University survey.