Under the banner of closing the state‘s $27 billion deficit last winter, Texas Gov. Rick Perry floated a proposal to privatize the state‘s prison health care network. Whether the plan would actually save the state any money was a matter of debate, but one thing was clear: The move would have been a boon for private-prison executives and lobbyists, including Perry‘s former chief of staff, who had donated generously to his 2010 reelection campaign.