Jeb Bush Quits Health Care Company That Supported Obamacare


Jeb Bush resigned from the board of directors of a health care company that supported the passage of the Affordable Care Act, in what some see as an early effort to manage his public image for a possible future presidential run.

The Los Angeles Times reported that Bush announced his resignation from the Tenet Healthcare Corp., an organization that both supported the Affordable Care Act (more commonly known as Obamacare) and reportedly benefited from it.

“And on Wednesday, Bush resigned from the board of directors of Tenet Healthcare Corp., also effective Dec. 31, according to a corporate filing. The Dallas-based company actively supported the 2010 Affordable Care Act, and has seen its revenue rise from it, an issue that could draw fire in Republican primaries.”

The Washington Post also reported that Bush resigned from Tenet Healthcare Corp., and that the company profited from the passage of Obamacare.

“Tenet is the country’s third-largest publicly traded hospital chain, with 80 hospitals across 14 states and more than 200 outpatient centers in 16 states. The Dallas-based hospital chain immediately reported reaping the benefits of Obamacare’s coverage expansion since it took effect at the start of this year.”

Bush, a Republican, formerly served as governor of Florida, and many are speculating that he now plans to run for the U.S. presidency in 2016. Republican constituents widely opposed the passage of Obamacare, and Bush severing ties with Tenet might be an effort to blunt criticism from the Republican base.

However, the Los Angeles Times noted that Bush might be disengaging from Tenet and some of his other business affairs in an effort “to avoid the kind of criticism that hobbled fellow Republican Mitt Romney.” The article explained that “Romney drew ceaseless attacks from Democrats for his lucrative work at Bain Capital,” and theorized that Bush could face similar criticism from Democrats in 2016.

Both the Los Angeles Times and the Washington Post also reported that Bush personally profited from his affiliation with Tenet. The Los Angeles Times reported that “Bush earned cash and stock awards worth nearly $300,000 from Tenet in 2013.” The article also said he earned $1.1 million from the sale of Tenet stock that same year.

Meanwhile, the Washington Post reported, “He earned $128,500 in cash plus $170,000 in stock last year for a total of $298,500 according to Tenet’s 2013 proxy statement.”

Politico spoke with an unnamed aide to Bush who gave an official explanation for why the former governor resigned from Tenet.

“It is a natural next step as he turns his focus to more actively considering a campaign for the presidency.”

The Inquisitr previously reported on the Democratic Party forming plans on how to oppose a Jeb Bush run for the presidency as indicators point to him likely becoming a 2016 candidate.

[Image via official Jeb Bush Twitter account]

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