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Pink Slip Rick in 2014

Rick Scott vs. Healthcare
July 1, 2013 SHARE THIS INFORMATION WITH EVERYONE Number 13-5
For four years, Governor Rick Scott has attacked
President Barack Obamas health care reform
law. Now that he sees his 2014 re-election getting
uncomfortably close, he flips to trumpeting that
he would like to expand Medicaid.
But he flopped on his flip because he did nothing
to encourage the Florida legislature to vote for
the expansionso they threw away $51 billion of
your and my money and gave it to other states.
And so the sociopathic Florida legislature and
Governor Scott, who could have insured 1.2
million uninsured Floridians, only want to cover
130,000 people. Where is the morality in that?
And . . . Scott is the founder of Conservatives
for Patients Rights, a front group organized in
2009 whose mission is to oppose President Barack
Obamas health care reform efforts. According to
the Politico news site, Scott has raised $20 mil-
lion to fight health care reform. Where is the mo-
rality in that?
Part of the groups anti-government healthcare
campaign is television ads that feature horror
stories of Canadian and British residents who
allegedly suffered long waits for surgeries,
couldnt get the drugs they needed, or had to come
to the United States for treatment.
For the record, here is a selection of some of
Scotts unfounded statements on Obamacare from
2009 to the present:
March 5, 2009: The free market does
everything better than the government
does it. Every time the government gets
involved, costs go up, access goes down.
on FOX News Channel (via Media
Matters for America)
Aug. 6, 2009: I clearly believe that
government-run health care will be bad
for you as a patient. It will be bad for
you as a taxpayer. It will be bad for our
country. on CNN
Oct 25, 2010: Obamacare is going
to be horrible for patients. Its going to
be horrible for taxpayers. Its probably
the biggest job killer ever. during
gubernatorial debate with Democratic
nominee Alex Sink, via Examiner.com
Feb. 15, 2011: Theyre going to create a
lot of dependency for Medicaid and then
theyre going to pull the rug out from
[Continued on page 2, About Face]
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Editorial:
Are You Represented By An
Obstructionist Republican In The
Florida State Legislature?
Are you represented by a Republican in the
Florida State Legislature? Are you an old, white,
male?
If not, youre young, old, female, latino,
LGBTand your obstructionist Florida State
Republican representative intentionally voted
to make it hard or impossible for you to vote
in 2012.
Are you represented by a Republican in the
Florida State Legislature? Are you out of work?
Your obstructionist Florida State Republican
representative intentionally voted not to help
you get back to work.
Are you represented by a Republican in the Florida
State Legislature? Can you afford healthcare?
If not, its because your obstructionist Florida
State Republican representative intentionally
voted to refuse $51 billion of Floridians
money and to give it to another state.
Are you represented by a Republican in the
Florida State Legislature? Are you concerned
about sensible gun legislation?
Florida doesnt have any. Its because your
obstructionist Florida State Republican
representative intentionally voted not to pass
any.
Are you represented by a Republican in the
Florida State Legislature?
If you want him/her again, go ahead, stay home.
If you dont want him/her again,
youve got to show up!
Vote!
under Floridians ... Floridians are fed up
with this. Theyre fed up with the federal
government telling us what to do, making
us more dependent on federal dollars
and then changing the rules. They need
to just give us a block grant, let us spend
the money the way we want to do it. on
FOX News Channel
March 23, 2011: The law also threatens
Floridas state budget. A study by the Cato
Institutes Jagadeesh Gokhale estimates
Florida will have to increase its Medicaid
spending by 11 percent in 2014 and by
24 percent over the next 10 yearsa $24
billion unfunded mandate. This is money
we do not have. ObamaCare: Its one
year too many, Tampa Bay Tribune op-ed
July 29, 2011: I dont want to waste
either federal money or state money on
something thats unconstitutional.
quoted by The New York Times
Aug. 15, 2011: If implemented,
Obamacare will result in the rationing
of healthcare, significant tax increases,
significant job losses and the inability of
many Americans to keep their existing
health insurance. statement reported
by Sunshine State News
Nov. 18, 2011:Its not the law of the
land. I dont believe it will ever be the law
of the land. quoted by the Associated
Press
Jun 28, 2012: OBAMACARE
DECLARED CONSTITUTIONAL
BY THE SUPREME COURT.
FLIP
July 1, 2012: [S]ince Florida is legally
allowed to opt out, thats the right decision
for our citizens. governors office press
release
[About Face, continued from page 1]
[Continued on page 3, About Face]
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July 2, 2012: Government health
care programs, everywhere in the world,
do three things: They promise you the
world, they say, Oh, were going to cover
everything. Then what they do is they
run out of money and they underpay
hospitals, doctors, and guess what
happens? They dont want to take care
of you ... If you care about patients, this
is devastating for you. -- on FOX News
Channel (via Politico)
Sept. 13, 2012: ...The federal
government still hasnt learned that you
shouldnt spend money you dont have.
More Medicaid? No Thanks, The
American Spectator op-ed
Jan. 7, 2013: Growing government,
its never free. It always costs money.
What were talking about here with this
Medicaid expansion is doubling the
number of Medicaid recipients ... As you
expand something, you cant undo it.
interview with reporters in Washington
FLOP
Feb. 20, 2013: This country is the
greatest in the world and its greatest
largely because of how we value the
weakest among us. Quality health care
shoud be accessible and affordable for all
Floridians. It shouldnt depend on your
zip code or your tax bracket. No mother
or father should despair over whether
they have access to high-quality health
care for their sick child.
While the federal government is
committed to paying 100 percent of
the cost, I cannot, in good conscience,
deny Floridians that need it access to
health care. We will support a three-
year expansion of our Medicaid program
under the new health care law, as long
as the federal government meets their
commitment to pay 100 percent of the
cost during that time. press conference
in Tallahassee
FLIP again
When the Florida legislature refused to
vote on legislation to accept expanded
Government support for Medicaid, Scott
refused to call a special session of the
legislature, and refused to pressure the
legislature to consider passing the
extension of Medicaid. He refused to put
his money where his mouth was. ###
Obstructionist FL House
Republicans Would Rather Cover
130,000 Than 1 Million
House Republicans approved a bare-bones
alternative to expanding Medicaid that rejects
billions of dollars in federal assistance and sets up
a showdown with the Senate and Gov. Rick Scott.
The House voted 71-45 to approve its alternative
to Medicaid expansion, which uses up to $300
million a year in state funds to provide basic
coverage to only about 130,000 people. The
Senate plan, which Scott prefers, relies on $51
billion in federal money over 10 years to provide
health insurance to 1 million or more Floridians.
Democrats, meanwhile, continued to criticize the
House plan as inadequate for Floridas poorest
families. The House plan covers only a fraction
of the people included in the Senate proposal and
includes premiums and deductibles that critics
say poor Floridians cannot afford.
This bill is wrapped in a beautiful box. The paper
is beautiful. The bow is beautiful, said Rep. Mia
Jones, D-Jacksonville. But when you open that
box up, the box is empty and its filled with empty
promises. ###
[About Face, continued from page 2]
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Health Insurance Companies to
Rebate $54 Million
Health insurance companies will have to pay $54
million in rebates this summer to 614,245 of their
Florida policyholders.
Thats $132 per family.
Thats another sign that the new Affordable
Care Act is working for we consumers by forcing
companies to rein in overhead costs or pay a
penalty in the form of rebates.
Todays announcement shows that more
Floridians are benefiting from the tools created
under the Affordable Care Act to keep consumer
costs down, said Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of
health and human services.
The ACA law requires insurers to spend at least
80 cents of very premium dollar on patient care,
rather than on advertising, marketing, salaries,
and profits. If they spend more than that, or
collect excessive profits, they owe rebates for the
difference. The latest round of rebates are due
Aug. 1.
Floridians who are owed rebates will get them
through a check in the mail, or by reimbursement
when they pay premiums by credit or debit card or
a reduction in their premiums. If the rebates go to
employers for work-based insurance, they may be
used to improve health coverage.
More information can be found at:
http://1.usa.gov/ovZTUA
###
Its clear to me that if
members of the Florida
Legislature insist on putting
politics ahead of our Florida
neighbors then we need to
change the members of the
Legislature in 2014.
Rick Scotts role in
Columbia/HCA scandal
The Miami Herald looked at Republican
gubernatorial candidate Rick Scotts role in the
Medicaid fraud case at his former company.
As I have said repeatedly, Columbia/HCA made
mistakes, and I take responsibility for what
happened on my watch as CEO, Scott said in a
written statement Friday. He has denied knowing
frauds were taking place while he was there, and
he was never charged with any crimes.
However, federal investigators found that Scott
took part in business practices at Columbia/HCA
that were later found to be illegalspecifically,
that Scott and other executives offered financial
incentives to doctors in exchange for patient
referrals, in violation of federal law, according to
lawsuits the Justice Department filed against the
company in 2001.
The doctor payments were among 10 different
kinds of fraud identified by the Justice Department
in its 10-year probe of the company, records show.
Three years after Scott left Columbia/HCA, the
company admitted wrongdoing, pleading guilty
to 14 feloniesmost committed during Scotts
tenurein addition to paying two sets of fines
totaling $1.7 billion...
Whether or not Scott was aware of his
companys questionable conduct, the breadth
of the problems raises questions about Scotts
leadership, management experts say. [See Rick
Scott Deposition, page 8.]
Nell Minow of the Corporate Library, a watchdog
group, put it this way: Being ignorant of all that
doesnt inspire confidence. In judging a CEO, she
said, its no better to be a schnook than a crook.
The key question for Scott is whether he can
persuade voters that he deserves to be chief
executive of Florida while at the same time
insisting that he knew nothing about the greatest
Medicare fraud in American history as it happened
under his nose. ###
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The League of Women Voters
Primer on Medicaid Expansion in
Florida
What is Medicaid? Medicaid is a state/federal
partnership that provides funding and access to
healthcare services to low income people.
What is the issue surrounding expansion
of Medicaid? The 2010 Affordable Care Act
increases the threshold of eligibility to 138
percent of the federal poverty level. The federal
government will cover Floridas costs for the first
three years; after that, Florida will pay 10 percent
of the tab. Expansion will bring in more than $50
billion to Florida over the next 10 years , and an
additional 1.1 million Floridians will have access
to medical services. The state government would
have to put up only about $3.5 billion over this 10
year period. More than 20 percent of Floridians
are without healthcare and most are working
people in low income jobs and unable to afford
high cost health care which can run up to $16,000
per year for a family of four.
In addition, low-income adults with no minor
dependents are presently ineligible for Medicaid.
Their medical homes are hospital emergency
roomsthe most expensive healthcare setting.
What is the Leagues position? The League
urges the Florida Legislature to take Medicaid
funding, which requires no state match for the
next three years, and will provide desperately
needed healthcare for our lower income workers
and families, while stimulating Floridas economy.
We encourage the Legislature to use those three
years to develop the Florida Plan as currently
being discussed by the Legislature. The League
has long supported using federal dollars to expand
Medicaid in Florida as part of the federal health
care overhaul known as the Affordable Care Act.
The League would prefer the program be run by
the public sector rather than the private sector
as SB 7038 provides, but the League believes it is
essential that Florida receive the federal funding
designed to make healthcare more accessible and
affordable. ###
Floridas Legislature and Medicaid
Floridas poor have been kicked over the side by
the Legislature, for no other reason than that the
Republican majority detests Obamacare. Yes,
Medicaid could have been expanded to cover over
a million uninsured citizens, and the feds would
have paid the lions share. The taxes we pay for
emergency room use by the indigent would have
dropped.
But no, they rejected it. Thats bad enough, but
now it turns out that our state reps enjoy generous
health insurance plans for themselves, thank you
very much, for which they pay as little as
$8 per month in premiums. We, the ignorant
proletariat, pick up the rest for them through a
subsidy.
Shame means nothing to politicians. Survival,
however, does. Chan Lowe, Sun Sentinel
Vote in 2014
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Rick Scott Deposition
This video shows footage of Rick Scott during a
deposition in an anti-trust lawsuit against his
former company Columbia/HCA Health. His
performance doesnt exactly engender confidence
in his honesty.
Top 10 Reasons to Kick Scott Out
2014 is just around the corner.
As Democrats gear up to take on Tea Partier Rick
Scott we thought it was a good time to remind you
of the top ten reasons we need a new, Democratic,
governor.
In the coming months we will list one of the
10 reasons each month; just to remind you
how important it is to Pink Slip Rick Scott in
November 2014!
Reason #8.
Rick Scott Spent Millions of our Tax Dollars
on Incentives for Companies that Never
Created Jobs
Scotts agency has given millions in
taxpayer money to many corporations and
they admitted they cant even prove the
companies are creating jobs in Florida.
Whats worse? Scotts asked for millions
more in funding for his failed program.
http://bit.ly/c951MD