KINGSTON – Republican congressional candidate Jackie Auringer has called out her opponent, Democratic incumbent Pat Ryan (D-NY-18), for leading what she described as a “political crusade” against Optum Health while his wife works as a senior federal policy official for a hospital association whose members directly compete with Optum’s provider model.
Ryan joined Optum Health workers on a picket line this week, continuing his aggressive public attacks on UnitedHealth and Optum, the nation’s largest employer of physicians under United Health Group.
“Pat Ryan never misses a chance to find a camera, throw around a few curse words, and call it leadership,” Auringer (R,C-Kingston) said. “This isn’t just about standing with workers. Voters deserve to know why Ryan is leading a crusade against Optum while his own household is tied to the massive hospital network that stands to profit from that exact fight. You don’t need a map to connect those dots.”
According to Auringer, Ryan’s wife, Rebecca, serves as a senior federal policy official at the Greater New York Hospital Association (GNYHA), which represents nearly 280 hospitals, health systems, and continuing-care facilities. Her official biography notes that she advocates on behalf of member hospitals on Medicare reimbursement issues before CMS, works to ensure hospitals are “protected financially” during federal rulemaking, and measures the financial impact of federal policy.
“This isn’t about Ryan’s wife,” Auringer said. “She’s doing her job. This is about Pat Ryan doing his. When a member of Congress writes legislation affecting an industry tied to his own household income, he owes voters transparency. Ryan should stop hiding behind photo ops and address this conflict of interest.”
Congressman Ryan fired back at Auringer.
“I know exactly who I fight for – the people of the Hudson Valley,” he said. “It’s that simple. Instead of waging baseless personal attacks, my opponent needs to explain why she’s siding with Optum over the people she wants to represent. That kind of corporate shilling is exactly what people hate about politics. Our community deserves better.”
Ryan said that he has criticized Optum because his constituents have shared heartbreaking experiences working with the provider. The Congressman called them “infuriating examples of corporate greed at the expense of our community.”
“If my opponent hadn’t just moved here from Florida, she would know that Optum has ravaged our health care system over the past five years and devastated families,” Ryan added. “Disabled kids who can’t get doctors’ appointments. Mothers waiting a year for a cancer diagnosis. Families bankrupted by erroneous billing. I don’t care who you are – if you’re hurting my constituents, I’ll call you out, rally the community, fight back, and win.”
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