Cause of Action recently received via FOIA the work calendar of HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius from January 2013 to the present.
Findings:
- January 23, 2013: Sebelius met with Anne Filipic, Enroll America’s President. [See Prod. 1 at p. 49].
a. Between January and May 2013, Secretary Sebelius met or held calls with the leadership of Kaiser Family Foundation, AcademyHealth, Recording Industry Agents and Representatives, Universal Studios, Musicares Foundation, Comcast, H&R Block, Safeway (other pharmacies: Walgreens, CVS, Walmart, Rite Aid, Kroger, Target, SuperValu, Public, Costco, Winn-Dixie, Meijer, Inc.,) Blue Cross/Blue Shield, National Urban League, Johnson & Johnson.
b. Administration officials confirmed previously Sebelius raised $10 million from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and $500,000 from H&R Block for Enroll America.
2. February 13, 2013: Sebelius met with Enroll America and Service Employees International Union (SEIU) staff in Chicago [See Prod. 1 at pp. 80-81].
a. SEIU is a member of Enroll America’s advisory council [Note: Cause of Action filed a 13909 complaint as well as a Form 211 Application with the Internal Revenue Service regarding Enroll America’s [political] activities].
b. Sept. 9, 2013: Sebelius held a partnership announcement with the SEIU in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. [See Prod. 2 at pp.315-316].
c. Sept. 25, 2013: Sebelius delivered remarks at an SEIU Executive Board Meeting. [See Prod. 2a t pp. 346-347]
3. March 23, 2013: Sebelius spoke over the phone with Chris Wyant, Managing Director at Enroll America to discuss 3rd Anniversary Action for the Affordable Care Act. [See Prod. 1 at p. 182]
4. May 1, 2013: Sebelius, President Obama, and Valerie Jarrett met with the Presidents of several large foundations including the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Kresge Foundation, California Endowment, Open Society Institute, W.K. Kellogg Foundation and Ford Foundation [See Prod. 2 at p. 36].
a. The Open Society Institute was founded by multibillionaire George Soros in 1993. OSI claims to be “a nonpartisan, nonpolitical entity” whose funding agendas are “wholly separate” from “George Soros’s private political activities.”
b. Since 2001, the California Endowment has given $4.9 million (29 grants) to Families USA Foundation, a pro-Obamacare activist group. Families USA co-founder and executive director Ron Pollack also founded Enroll America.
c. According to a Feb. 19, 2014 story, Enroll America officials said the group has raised $27 million so far from entities that include the Ford Foundation and the California Endowment.
5. July 22, 2013: Sebelius held a stakeholder roundtable in TX with the State Director for Enroll America, Mimi Garcia, in attendance. [See Prod. 2 at pp. 206-207]
a. In November 2013, Project Veritas exposed the Communications Director for the TX division of Enroll America discussing illegal political activity.
6. August 19, 2013: Sebelius traveled to Houston, TX and delivered remarks for the Young Invincibles enrollment class with the Texas Organizing Project (TOP) in attendance. [See Prod. 2 at pp. 283-284]
a. TOP has used tax-exempt contributions funneled to it from the Texas Organizing Project Education Fund for illegal political activity and operates as a re-branded ACORN entity (see here).
7. February 5, 2013: Sebelius had a phone call with Senator Ben Nelson, CEO of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). [See Prod. 1 at p. 72]
a. See “Cornhusker Kickback”: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) offered $100 million in Medicaid funding, also known as the “Cornhusker Kickback,” to Nelson to help win him over* as the 60th vote on the Senate’s healthcare reform bill last December.
