For the sake of public disclosure, TDMR is providing the lists of lobbyists registered with the Texas Ethics Commission who lobbied in 2019 on behalf of the three dental insurance companies that were recently announced as the awardees of the contracts for dental services for Texas Medicaid.
The reports are in PDF format and are downloadable.. The dollar amount each expects to be paid for the year is in the last column on the right under "Amount." The "LT" designation means "less than." "PROSPECT" means prospective - how much they expect to earn for the year.
If you want to know more about any individual, simply Google their names.
MCNA
Notable mentions here are Thomas Suehs, former executive director of the Health and Human Services Commission who retired in 2012 and Albert Hawkins III, also a former executive director of HHSC and now vice-chairman of MCNA. As a sidenote, we wonder if Gov. Perry will return to MCNA if he actually resigns from his current federal position.
UnitedHealthcare
It needs to be remembered that UnitedHealthcare is not only now a DMO but has been an MCO for years.
Notable is Erica Stick who is a former chief of staff of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission and, of course, married to Jack Stick, the former disgraced HHSC chief counsel and deputy IG for enforcement.
Lara Laneri Keel, "top female hired gun," and business partner Mike Toomey, a former chief of staff of Gov. Perry, do well along with Chris Cronn, another former Perry staffer.
DentaQuest
The truth of the matter is that we don't see anyone here we recognize and bravo to DentaQuest for spending less than $75,000 on lobbying if we got this right. If we did, it appears their management thinks their work can stand on its own merit. Refreshing.
As for DentatQuest, Don Gilbert is a former HHSC Executive Commissions – preceded Hawkins if I recall correctly.
As per lobbyists for UnitedHealth:
“Lara Laneri Keel – a former Texas Association of Business governmental affairs manager who was an aide to Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief when he was a state senator- has been part of the group led by Mike Toomey and Bill Messer before she joined them in the new Texas Capitol Group. Keel’s husband is State Auditor John Keel – the former executive director of the Legislative Budget Board”.
Capitol Inside, January 31, 2006.
Michael W Davis, DDS
Santa Fe, NM