J. Patrick Rooney
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December 13, 1927
J. Patrick Rooney | |
|---|---|
| Born | John Patrick Rooney December 13, 1927 |
| Died | September 15, 2008 (aged 80) |
| Occupations | Insurance executive, activist |
John Patrick Rooney (December 13, 1927 – September 15, 2008) was the chairman and founder of the Fairness Foundation, whose goal is to help low-income Americans with education and challenging large health care bills. He was the main proponent of what became health savings accounts.[1][2][3] He was also the chairman of Golden Rule Insurance Company from 1976 until he retired in 1996.[3]
Rooney was born in Lawrenceville, Illinois, where he was educated in the public school system.[4]
In June 1976, he became the chairman of Golden Rule Insurance Company, upon the death of his father.[3][4]
In 1976, Rooney successfully led a fight against discrimination in insurance agent testing with an eight-year lawsuit against the State of Illinois and the Educational Testing Service.[5] The suit charged discrimination against minority applicants. Estimated cost of the litigation and experts was approximately $2 million. The civil rights case was settled with a precedent-setting agreement that requires a method of constructing exams designed to eliminate unnecessary racial disparities.[4]
In 1991, Rooney advocated for school vouchers and founded the Educational Choice Charitable Trust.[6] The Educational Choice Charitable Trust provides tuition assistance for students from lower-income families in Indianapolis whose parents want them to attend a private school.[7]
Rooney briefly sought the 1996 Republican nomination for governor of Indiana.[3]
His efforts led to the passage of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) in 1996.[4]
He lobbied Congress to win tax-free status for health savings accounts, which Congress granted in 2003.[4]
Rooney received attention in October 2006 United States Congressional elections, after America's PAC, a group to which Rooney donated $900,000, ran controversial ads alleging that Democrats "want to abort black babies".[8]
Also October 2006, Mr. Rooney criticized the prices that hospitals charge, when compared to the price that Medicare pays, claiming that it was racial discrimination.[9]
