Health Care For America Now

Anti-Reform Front Man Made Millions with Company that Defrauded Government and was Fined $1.7 Billion

Watch the TV ad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tItAd_rzJ48
                          
Washington, DC - Health Care for America Now (HCAN) – the nation’s largest health care campaign – launched a new television ad today detailing anti-reform front man Rick Scott’s dubious past in the health care industry.  The former CEO of Columbia/Hospital Corporation of America was forced to resign in 1997, and Columbia/HCA agreed to pay $1.7 billion in fines and penalties – the largest fraud settlement in US history. The hospital corporation pleaded guilty to a litany of criminal and civil charges including lying to the government about how sick patients were so they could collect larger fees.

Now Scott is using his own personal fortune amassed during those years to attack President Obama’s health care proposals with false claims and recycled scare tactics. Scott formed a group called Conservatives for Patients’ Rights and is advertising on national cable outlets like CNN and Fox. While some press have mentioned Scott’s past in covering his new multimillion dollar ad push, too many continue to ignore the agenda behind the expenditure.

“Rick Scott made millions with a company that defrauded the government and the American people for profit. If he’s going to grant interviews and plaster himself all over the airwaves as the face of anti-reform, we believe everyone has the right to know exactly where he’s coming from,” said Richard Kirsch, National Campaign Manager for Health Care for America Now.

Health Care for America Now’s TV ad will air in both Washington, DC and Naples, FL where Rick Scott resides.

AUDIO:

NARRATOR

Video:

Ambulance at night

Graphic: Who’s trying to stop healthcare reform?

Still frame Rick Scott. HCA Logo

Graphic: Pleaded guilty to 14 felonies – SOURCE: WASHINGTON POST, 12/19/02

EKG Background

Graphic: Rick Scott

Newspaper Graphic: “biggest false claims settlement in history” SOURCE: St. Petersburg Times, 1/5/04

Still frame Rick Scott. Sad Senior

Graphic: Over-billing - SOURCE: SUN SENTINEL, 3/17/01

Still frame Rick Scott. EKG Background

Graphic: Kickbacks  SOURCE: NEWSDAY, 8/3/03

Still frame Rick Scott. Background Veins

Graphic: Falsified procedures SOURCE: NYTIMES, 12/18/02

Headlines about Scott and HCA

Graphic: $1.7 billion in civil and criminal penalties. SOURCE NYTIMES, 12/18/02

Rick Scott commercial in slow motion - Graphic: Rick Scott: Blocking Health Care Reform
SOURCE: NY TIMES, 4/1/09

Lobbyist on jet
Graphic: Rick Scott: Millions from broken healthcare system
SOURCE: NY TIMES, 4/1/09

Rick Scott Ad in TV - Graphic: Health Critic Brings a Past and a Wallet
SOURCE New York Times 4/1/09

WHO’S TRYING TO STOP HEALTH CARE REFORM?

RICK SCOTT—THE MUTIMILLIONAIRE HOSPITAL CEO WHOSE FORMER COMPANY PLEADED GUILTY TO 14 FELONIES—THE LARGEST HEALTH CARE FRAUD SETTLEMENT IN HISTORY.

OVER-BILLING MEDICARE…

KICKBACKS…

FALSIFIED PROCEDURES…

SCOTT’S COMPANY WAS FORCED TO PAY $1.7
BILLION IN PENALTIES.

NOW RICK SCOTT’S TRYING TO BLOCK HEALTH CARE REFORM.

BECAUSE HE AND HIS INSURANCE COMPANY FRIENDS MAKE MILLIONS FROM THE BROKEN SYSTEM WE HAVE NOW.

SO BEFORE YOU LISTEN TO RICK SCOTT—LOOK AT HIS RECORD.

Full Screen:

HealthCareforAmericaNow.org

Graphic: Paid for by Health Care for America Now
Health Care for America Now logo

Paid for by Health Care for America Now
http://www.HealthCareforAmericaNow.org


BACK-UP DOCUMENTATION
CLAIM: Who’s trying to stop health care reform? Rick Scott - the multimillionaire hospital CEO whose former company pleaded guilty to 14 felonies – - the largest health care fraud settlement in history. Over-billing Medicare… Kickbacks…Falsified procedures… Scott’s former company was forced to pay $1.7 billion in penalties.

CITATIONS:
For biographical information on Richard L. “Rick” Scott, the former CEO of HCA, please click here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Lynn_Scott

HCA subsidiaries pled guilty to “substantial criminal conduct” and paid “criminal fines” in the largest health care fraud case in US history. For a copy of the Department of Justice Press Release on the HCA investigation and $1.7 billion record total in penalties, please click here:
http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2003/June/03_civ_386.htm

For a link to the New York Times story, please click here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/18/business/hca-is-said-to-reach-deal-on-settlement-of-fraud-case.html?sec=health&spon=&pagewanted=all

For a link to the Washington Post story, please click here:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A9283-2002Dec18&notFound=true

For a link to the St. Petersburg Times story, please click here:
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/01/05/Business/The_inside_story_of_H.shtml

CLAIM: “Now Rick Scott’s trying to block healthcare reform. Because he and his insurance company friends make millions from the broken system we have now. So before you listen to Rick Scott - look at his record.”

CITATIONS:
Last month, the New York Times wrote that Scott has emerged as the “most visible conservative opponent to Mr. Obama’s not-fully-defined health care effort.” For a link to the full story, please click here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/02/us/politics/02scott.html

Scott and his allies plan to spend $20 million on their effort to block health care reform. “Scott's new group, Conservatives for Patients' Rights… started a media blitz last week that includes television and radio ads featuring Scott talking about the group's ``four pillars'' of reform.” (MODERN HEALTHCARE, 3/9/09)

"The day after Mr. Obama formally laid out his policy goals in his first address to Congress, the former chief executive of HCA Inc. unveiled a $20 million campaign to pressure Democrats to enact health-care legislation based on free-market principles." [Wall Street Journal, 2/26/09]

Merrill Matthews Jr., is the director of the Council for Affordable Health Insurance, a group that formed to fight the Clinton proposals and expects to fight Mr. Obama’s. Mr. Matthews said he would not shun Mr. Scott. “He’s bringing a lot of money to the table,” he said. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/02/us/politics/02scott.html

Interview with Rick Scott, Politico, 4/21/09:
Q: Are you providing the only source of funding for Conservatives for Patients’ Rights?
A: I started by myself, but people have started funding. I did it myself at the beginning because it is what I believe, and I think it is hard to get people to ever ... do something with you if you don’t stick your own neck out. So that is what I did, and now I have a lot of support.
Q: Who else is funding the organization?
A: I told people I am not disclosing their names. But there are lots of people who believe the same way we do.
Q: Are they mostly individuals or corporations?
A: It is both. ... The bigger dollars will be companies.

Please click here for the full interview: http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=C561A836-18FE-70B2-A895B954887A3B64