WellPoint’s Fulfillment of $30M Commitment to Uninsured Questioned

WellPoint's charitable foundation has not fulfilled its 2007 pledge to spend $30 million over three years to improve health care access for uninsured U.S. residents, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Public records show that the WellPoint Foundation has contributed less than $6.2 million in grants toward initiatives specifically targeting uninsured populations. The amount is about 11% of the foundation's total donations during the last three years.

According to tax filings and other documents, the proportion of grant money that the foundation set aside for groups targeting uninsured residents totaled:

• In 2007, about $1.5 million of the $17.8 million granted;
• In 2008, about $3.3 million of the $22.1 million granted; and
• In 2009, about $1.35 million of the $14.8 million granted.

In 2007, the largest portion of the foundation's donations went to matching individual gifts made by employees.

WellPoint Disputes Report

WellPoint spokesperson Kristin Binns said that the foundation fulfilled the $30 million pledge in mid-2009.