Maryland residents are paying outrageous premiums for health insurance, auto insurance and homeowner's insurance. It is price-gouging, pure and simple. But Maryland lawmakers recently concluded their 2024 legislative session without taking any action to protect their constituents from these predatory premiums. And now we know why.
Insurance companies are among the biggest financial contributors to our elected officials in Annapolis. As a result, a Democratic-controlled general assembly is treating insurance firms the way our Montgomery County Council treats the real estate development industry: with a hands-off, libertarian-Republican, brass knuckle capitalist approach that Ayn Rand and Ronald Reagan could endorse.
Most of us expected that the more years we drove while maintaining a good driving record would lower our insurance costs. Instead, premiums continue to skyrocket to record heights. In the case of auto insurance, we have been twice-victimized by our elected officials. Not only have they failed to protect us from premium price-gouging, but their soft-on-crime approach has given insurers a handy excuse to claim that all of the stolen vehicles are costing them money.
Here's a look inside the insurance companies' checkbooks, and your governor's, legislative leaders' and Montgomery County legislators' campaign treasure chests. The contributions listed below are only a portion of the donations made, and primarily cover the period from 2022 to 2024. Elected officials listed are A) Governor Wes Moore, B) State Senate President Bill Ferguson, C) Speaker of the House Adrienne Jones, D) Gov. Moore/Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller's Inaugural Committee, and E) Montgomery County delegates and state senators.
Liberty Mutual
2022:
$500 Eric Luedtke
$1500 Jeff Waldstreicher
$1000 Will Smith
$1000 Brian Feldman
2021
$250 Nancy King
$750 Will Smith
$250 Brian Feldman
GEICO
2021
$250 Jeff Waldstreicher
$250 Ben Kramer
$250 Brian Feldman
State Farm
2023
$1000 Bill Ferguson
2022
$750 Bill Ferguson
$250 Will Smith
2021
$500 Brian Feldman
2020
$1000 Bill Ferguson
$2000 Will Smith
Carefirst Blue Cross
Since 2022
$1000 Wes Moore
$1000 Will Smith
$2000 Brian Feldman
$500 Marc Korman
$500 Jheanelle Wilkins
$250 Ben Kramer
$6000 Bill Ferguson
$30,000 Moore-Miller Inaugural Committee
$500 Bonnie Cullison
$2000 Democratic Senate Caucus Committee
$500 Kumar Barve
$500 Eric Luedtke
Nationwide
Since 2020
$3500 Will Smith
$1000 House Democratic Caucus Committee
Farmers
$30,000 Moore-Miller Inaugural Committee
$6000 Brian Feldman
Erie Insurance
$1750 Jeff Waldstreicher
$2000 Adrienne Jones
$1500 Will Smith
$5000 Wes Moore
$500 Ben Kramer
$750 Brian Feldman
USAA
Since 2020
$250 Jeff Waldstreicher
$500 Will Smith
$1000 Adrienne Jones
Cigna
Since 2022
$750 Bonnie Cullison
$750 Ariana Kelly
$3000 Wes Moore
$1500 Adrienne Jones
$750 Brian Feldman
United Healthcare
$30,000 Moore-Miller Inaugural Committee
20 comments:
They are certainly cheap to buy influence.
So in the last couple days you've decided local and state government's role is to set pricing for insurance companies, improve xfinity's service, and open an Olive Garden. Fantastic stuff.
7:56: It would be fantastic if local and state government actually started doing something for their constituents who pay them big bucks in salary.
Yes, it's government's role to block price gouging by insurance companies, to find out why there have been many power and Xfinity outages and if they are related to Westbard construction, and to stop blocking Olive Garden from opening a restaurant here.
5:03: Add up all the checks. It's tens of thousands of dollars apiece for some of them.
You went full communist, Dyer. Never go full communist.
Also, Outback went out the back and Jerry's Subs and Pizza vanished.
Robert if you wore a real thinking cap, instead of one made for a dunce, you might understand that your feed me mind, can't always get what you want, even if you try. Olive Garden is a subsidiary of the Darden Food Group, which owns Seasons 52, Yardhouse, Longhorn, Red Lobster, and many other establishments. Due to the decades old "Mom & Pop" rule on the county laws, only one of each corporations establishments is permitted to operate here. This is why you only see one of many other chain feeding pits. The only caveat to this law is if a corporate headquarters has two separate offices, east and west region to control their franchises. Now quitcherbitchin.
I mean, you don't actually think the County Council is blocking Olive Garden from opening here, right Robert? Please say you understand that.
10:39: Given that this is just about the only jurisdiction in the nation without an Olive Garden, I'm pretty sure the Council is blocking them. Even the commenter who called me a dunce above is confirming that the Council is using "decades old" laws to stop Olive Garden from opening here. Olive Garden is not willingly forgoing the massive profits they could make here of their own volition.
Good to see you accept constructive criticism, but you missed the point. Do your homework and quote the law on the books for your audience. Then focus on defeating it, rather than whining so much.
Thank you, Norm. Would you agree that, if a County law was blocking commerce that was standard in every other jurisdiction in America, that smart County Council members would have repealed such an archaic provision long ago?
Asking for officials whom we are paying $156,284 a year to have at least a median level of intelligence and business sense isn't whining, but, rather, our civic responsibility.
No! If this were so they wouldn't be controlling alcoholic beverages as well.
5:37: Very true!
9:09: Diners of the world, unite - you have nothing to lose but your unlimited bread sticks!
And over dressed salad!
5:18 PM "smart County Council members" is a contradiction of therms.
I never understood the appeal of the Olive Garden’s botomless salad bowl. It seems so riskie…
Are you joking, Robert? You think there's actually a law that allows only one county location of each chain? You literally just posted about how two Red Lobster locations in the county are closing.
9:11: You're confusing me with SocialNorm. He stated that was the reason. I believe he said the law allows one *brand* owned by each restaurant conglomerate to operate in the County, not one *location*.
All I added was, if true, then it bolsters my argument that the Council is indeed blocking Olive Garden.
And now those pesky 2 year vehicle registration fees are going to skyrocket.
5:51 PM The fiscal geniuses are robbing Peter to pay Paul.
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