Dear Matt
Today at The Scripps Research Institute in Palm Beach County, Bill McCollum released his Education Plan, comprised of reform-minded solutions to ensure our children receive a 21st century education. Dramatically improving our education system will ensure Florida’s children can compete with their peers across the country and lessen future generations’ dependence on costly government services. Bill will implement merit pay to reward good teachers, phase out tenure and give parents more choices – measures that will create world-class schools for the Sunshine State.
Recently, Bill released his Economic Plan that is designed to spur economic growth while curbing government waste. These conservative policy initiatives, along with Bill’s Transportation Plan and upcoming Health and Energy plans, can only be enacted with your help!
Our fundraising quarter ends TONIGHT at MIDNIGHT, July 16th! Bill needs your help to enact these plans and bring prosperity back to Florida.
PLEASE support our campaign with a contribution of $10, $25, $100 or other amount as we work to make Florida a better place for our children and grandchildren.
You can visit our website to make your contribution.
Thank you for your efforts. Let’s make this a great quarter!
Carrie O’Rourke
Finance Director
Monday, July 19, 2010
POST BY DR. GEORGE SUAREZ
Please help support Bill McCollum for governor of Florida. He is the best qualified candidate, and the most honest candidate.
George M. Suarez, M.D.
MEDIA ADVISORY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JULY 16, 2010
CONTACT: Kristy Campbell
850-241-1885
kristy@billmccollum.com
BILL MCCOLLUM TO CAMPAIGN IN SOUTH FLORIDA
Tallahassee, FL – On Saturday, July 17, Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill McCollum will make several campaign stops in South Florida, hitting both the west and east coasts.
The following events will be open to the media.
Saturday, July 17, 2010:
8:00 a.m. EDT
Bill McCollum Addresses the Lee County Republican Executive Committee
Edison State College, Building S
8099 College Parkway
Fort Myers, FL 33919
11:00 a.m. EDT
Bill McCollum Attends the Collier County Republican Executive Committee Headquarters Grand Opening
2500 N. Tamiami Trail
Naples, FL 34103
2:00 p.m. EDT
Bill McCollum Addresses the Palm Beach County 4th Biennial Candidate Jamboree
South County Civic Center
16700 Jog Road
Delray Beach, FL 33446
7:00 p.m. EDT
Bill McCollum Addresses the Naples Council for Constitutional Principles and the Naples Tea Party
VFW Hall
800 Neffs Way
Naples, FL 34119
For more information, campaign news, and updates, visit www.BillMcCollum.com.
# # #
Political advertisement paid for and approved by Bill McCollum, Republican, for Governor.
The purchase of a ticket for, or a contribution to, the campaign fundraiser is a contribution
George M. Suarez, M.D.
MEDIA ADVISORY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JULY 16, 2010
CONTACT: Kristy Campbell
850-241-1885
kristy@billmccollum.com
BILL MCCOLLUM TO CAMPAIGN IN SOUTH FLORIDA
Tallahassee, FL – On Saturday, July 17, Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill McCollum will make several campaign stops in South Florida, hitting both the west and east coasts.
The following events will be open to the media.
Saturday, July 17, 2010:
8:00 a.m. EDT
Bill McCollum Addresses the Lee County Republican Executive Committee
Edison State College, Building S
8099 College Parkway
Fort Myers, FL 33919
11:00 a.m. EDT
Bill McCollum Attends the Collier County Republican Executive Committee Headquarters Grand Opening
2500 N. Tamiami Trail
Naples, FL 34103
2:00 p.m. EDT
Bill McCollum Addresses the Palm Beach County 4th Biennial Candidate Jamboree
South County Civic Center
16700 Jog Road
Delray Beach, FL 33446
7:00 p.m. EDT
Bill McCollum Addresses the Naples Council for Constitutional Principles and the Naples Tea Party
VFW Hall
800 Neffs Way
Naples, FL 34119
For more information, campaign news, and updates, visit www.BillMcCollum.com.
# # #
Political advertisement paid for and approved by Bill McCollum, Republican, for Governor.
The purchase of a ticket for, or a contribution to, the campaign fundraiser is a contribution
COMMENTS FROM MATT
Dear George,
The stakes in August’s Republican primary could not be higher. Florida faces a multitude of challenges, including a major jobs shortage, a budget crisis, and a need for a strong conservative leader in the Governor’s Mansion.
On one hand, Florida Republicans can elect Bill McCollum – leading our nation’s legal efforts to repeal President Obama’s health care laws, fighting for meaningful litigation reform to ease Florida’s doctor shortage and lower healthcare costs and working to implement an economic plan that will create 500,000 new jobs over six years.
As a Congressman and Attorney General, Florida’s healthcare community has had no better friend than Bill McCollum. His record on cutting government red tape and ending frivolous lawsuits prompted one of Florida’s most prominent trial lawyers to call Bill “the trial lawyers’ worst nightmare.”
On the other hand, Florida Republicans can put their hopes for our future in disgraced former Columbia CEO Rick Scott, who ran the company as it systematically defrauded the government in the largest Medicare fraud scheme in American history. Using the millions he made from defrauding taxpayers, Rick Scott has taken to the airwaves to mislead Floridians about his record.
As the campaign continues, we learn more about Rick Scott’s questionable background as a healthcare CEO. Here are the facts about Rick Scott’s tenure as Columbia CEO:
· While Rick Scott was CEO of Columbia the company would purchase inferior equipment to cut cost that could hinder doctors abilities to perform their duties:
o “Surgical gloves were thinner and more likely to break, alcohol sponges were smaller, and the valve on new chest drainage tubes substituted by Columbia did not indicate whether the device was turned on or off” (allnurses.com)
o “’Gloves rip easily,’ complained hospital workers in Florida. In California, some nurses protested “filthy conditions” and being “stretched to the limit as the hospital slashed the ratio of nurses to patients” “I sometimes had to watch 72 patients heart monitors at a time,” one nurse reported. “I was told, either do it, or there’s the door.” In Indianapolis nurses complained to state authorities that babies in the neonatal unit were left unattended for as long as three hours.” (healthbeatblog.com: Who is Richard Scott and why is he saying these things about healthcare reform?)
· Richard Scott and Columbia attempted to bribe doctors:
o In 1997, in El Paso, Texas, a Federal jury found that Columbia, “personally” authorized by Rick Scott, had secretly paid doctor Ambrose Aboud $152,000 for "outstanding expenses" that he had not incurred as part of an unlawful conspiracy to defraud the business partner. (Kurt Eichenwald, New York Times: A Health Care Giant's Secret Payments Taint a Texas Deal, March 29, 1997)
o Agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation wrote in a memorandum that executives from hospitals that Columbia was attempting to buy reported that Columbia offered them “perquisites and promises of jobs” and other inducements as bribes to affect their decisions on whether to sell to Columbia. This includes John Geanes, a former administrator of South Miami Hospital who stated before a grand jury that he was approached by several Columbia officials including Rick Scott.( NEW YORK TIMES: HEALTH CARE'S GIANT: Powerhouse Under Scrutiny -- A special report.; Biggest Hospital Operator Attracts Federal Inquiries, March 28, 1997, by Martin Gottlieb, Kurt Eichenwald and Josh Barbanel)
· Rick Scott and Columbia cut doctors that were not bringing in maximum profit, at the expense of patient care
o “The profit pressure that left Lawrence County, which is 71 miles southwest of Nashville, without an obstetrician also helped make Columbia the target of federal investigators. And it began affecting patient care immediately after Columbia's 1994 takeover of Hospital Corp. of America, current and former hospital employees say.”
o “Critics point to one incident in 1994, when Columbia cut back on services at a money-losing hospital in Destin, Fla. A man injured in a boating accident was left pleading from his stretcher for emergency room staff to treat him, as yellow tape blocked entry to the ER door.” (John Hendren, Hospital chain's profits took toll on patient care, employees say” John Hendren, AP, Hospital chain's profits took toll on patient care, employees say, 9/7/1997)
With the Florida Medical Association’s recent announcement to unanimously endorse Attorney General Bill McCollum for Governor, we feel the momentum heading into August is on our side. But to ensure it remains that way and to keep Rick Scott and his fraudulent business tactics out of the Governor’s Office, we need your support. Your maximum donation of $500 per person of $1,000 per household will ensure Florida’s medical community will have a strong advocate in the Governor’s Mansion and help us educate Florida Republicans about Rick Scott’s real record as CEO of Columbia. To keep up with Rick Scott’s massive spending, we need your support.
The stakes in August’s Republican primary could not be higher. Florida faces a multitude of challenges, including a major jobs shortage, a budget crisis, and a need for a strong conservative leader in the Governor’s Mansion.
On one hand, Florida Republicans can elect Bill McCollum – leading our nation’s legal efforts to repeal President Obama’s health care laws, fighting for meaningful litigation reform to ease Florida’s doctor shortage and lower healthcare costs and working to implement an economic plan that will create 500,000 new jobs over six years.
As a Congressman and Attorney General, Florida’s healthcare community has had no better friend than Bill McCollum. His record on cutting government red tape and ending frivolous lawsuits prompted one of Florida’s most prominent trial lawyers to call Bill “the trial lawyers’ worst nightmare.”
On the other hand, Florida Republicans can put their hopes for our future in disgraced former Columbia CEO Rick Scott, who ran the company as it systematically defrauded the government in the largest Medicare fraud scheme in American history. Using the millions he made from defrauding taxpayers, Rick Scott has taken to the airwaves to mislead Floridians about his record.
As the campaign continues, we learn more about Rick Scott’s questionable background as a healthcare CEO. Here are the facts about Rick Scott’s tenure as Columbia CEO:
· While Rick Scott was CEO of Columbia the company would purchase inferior equipment to cut cost that could hinder doctors abilities to perform their duties:
o “Surgical gloves were thinner and more likely to break, alcohol sponges were smaller, and the valve on new chest drainage tubes substituted by Columbia did not indicate whether the device was turned on or off” (allnurses.com)
o “’Gloves rip easily,’ complained hospital workers in Florida. In California, some nurses protested “filthy conditions” and being “stretched to the limit as the hospital slashed the ratio of nurses to patients” “I sometimes had to watch 72 patients heart monitors at a time,” one nurse reported. “I was told, either do it, or there’s the door.” In Indianapolis nurses complained to state authorities that babies in the neonatal unit were left unattended for as long as three hours.” (healthbeatblog.com: Who is Richard Scott and why is he saying these things about healthcare reform?)
· Richard Scott and Columbia attempted to bribe doctors:
o In 1997, in El Paso, Texas, a Federal jury found that Columbia, “personally” authorized by Rick Scott, had secretly paid doctor Ambrose Aboud $152,000 for "outstanding expenses" that he had not incurred as part of an unlawful conspiracy to defraud the business partner. (Kurt Eichenwald, New York Times: A Health Care Giant's Secret Payments Taint a Texas Deal, March 29, 1997)
o Agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation wrote in a memorandum that executives from hospitals that Columbia was attempting to buy reported that Columbia offered them “perquisites and promises of jobs” and other inducements as bribes to affect their decisions on whether to sell to Columbia. This includes John Geanes, a former administrator of South Miami Hospital who stated before a grand jury that he was approached by several Columbia officials including Rick Scott.( NEW YORK TIMES: HEALTH CARE'S GIANT: Powerhouse Under Scrutiny -- A special report.; Biggest Hospital Operator Attracts Federal Inquiries, March 28, 1997, by Martin Gottlieb, Kurt Eichenwald and Josh Barbanel)
· Rick Scott and Columbia cut doctors that were not bringing in maximum profit, at the expense of patient care
o “The profit pressure that left Lawrence County, which is 71 miles southwest of Nashville, without an obstetrician also helped make Columbia the target of federal investigators. And it began affecting patient care immediately after Columbia's 1994 takeover of Hospital Corp. of America, current and former hospital employees say.”
o “Critics point to one incident in 1994, when Columbia cut back on services at a money-losing hospital in Destin, Fla. A man injured in a boating accident was left pleading from his stretcher for emergency room staff to treat him, as yellow tape blocked entry to the ER door.” (John Hendren, Hospital chain's profits took toll on patient care, employees say” John Hendren, AP, Hospital chain's profits took toll on patient care, employees say, 9/7/1997)
With the Florida Medical Association’s recent announcement to unanimously endorse Attorney General Bill McCollum for Governor, we feel the momentum heading into August is on our side. But to ensure it remains that way and to keep Rick Scott and his fraudulent business tactics out of the Governor’s Office, we need your support. Your maximum donation of $500 per person of $1,000 per household will ensure Florida’s medical community will have a strong advocate in the Governor’s Mansion and help us educate Florida Republicans about Rick Scott’s real record as CEO of Columbia. To keep up with Rick Scott’s massive spending, we need your support.
Friday, July 16, 2010
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JULY 15, 2010
CONTACT: Kristy Campbell
850-241-1885
kristy@billmccollum.com
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: ST. PETERSBURG TIMES: Rick Scott’s Medicare fraud explanations are unsatisfactory
“Private wealth and public accountability”
St. Petersburg Times
Editorial
July 15, 2010
“Republican candidate for governor Rick Scott has shown in the past week he's not above exploiting his role as a hospital executive in a family's private medical issue to get votes — yet he still refuses to candidly answer questions about how his company ultimately paid a $1.7 billion fine for Medicare fraud. Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Jeff Greene likes to tout his experience as a ‘proven job creator’ as he accumulated a onetime $1.3 billion business empire — yet he still hasn't disclosed information on his finances that would give voters more time to independently evaluate his record. Private business executives have to recognize that running for public office requires more transparency, particularly when their opponents have long public records.
“Scott and Greene have earned vast sums of money in the private sector, but they are unknown and untested politically. They have become competitive in their respective races largely because they have spent millions of their own money on television ads and face weak candidates in primary elections. At least the public records are clear for Attorney General Bill McCollum, who faces Scott in the Republican primary for governor, and U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek of Miami, who faces Greene in the Democratic Senate primary. Scott and Greene are far less transparent and unwilling to go beyond sound bites in describing their track records.
“Scott's posturing is particularly galling as he's been exploiting a family's medical crisis on the campaign trail to prove he is a ‘prolife leader.’ As CEO of Columbia/HCA he continued to fight a lawsuit filed by a Texas couple whose wishes for the treatment of their premature infant daughter were ignored. And his campaign and a third-party committee have spent at least $20 million on television ads, including one that references the fine his hospital company paid after a federal investigation for Medicare fraud. The ad includes Scott saying he is going to give the ‘unvarnished truth’ and that he ‘learned’ from the experience. He notes he was never interviewed by investigators or charged in the case.
“But unvarnished truth apparently has its limits. After the Miami Herald found at least one of Columbia/HCA's illegal practices — giving kickbacks to doctors who referred patients to the company's hospitals — traced back to the original Texas hospitals Scott ran, his campaign declined interview requests. It ultimately issued another oblique and wholly unsatisfactory statement. What lessons did Scott learn? What did he know? Scott won't elaborate. As governor would he insist on giving written statements rather than candid responses to the public?
“Then there is billionaire Greene, who sought a one-month delay June 18 in filing financial disclosure papers required under state election law. Greene claimed his attorney ‘hasn't been able to get it in yet.’ That Greene — who has the cash to hire a posse of professionals — didn't think it was a priority is disconcerting at best. Now it appears he's intent on making voters wait as long as possible by running out the clock.
“With less than six weeks before the Aug. 24 primary, and many ballots already in the mail, time is running short for Scott and Greene to open up to voters about their track records in private business. But they are going to have to offer more than slick television commercials or campaign stump speeches. If they are not comfortable with public disclosure of their private business dealings, they should not be running for public office.”
To view this piece, please visit the St. Petersburg Times online at http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/editorials/article1108979.ece. For more information, campaign news, and updates, visit www.BillMcCollum.com.
JULY 15, 2010
CONTACT: Kristy Campbell
850-241-1885
kristy@billmccollum.com
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: ST. PETERSBURG TIMES: Rick Scott’s Medicare fraud explanations are unsatisfactory
“Private wealth and public accountability”
St. Petersburg Times
Editorial
July 15, 2010
“Republican candidate for governor Rick Scott has shown in the past week he's not above exploiting his role as a hospital executive in a family's private medical issue to get votes — yet he still refuses to candidly answer questions about how his company ultimately paid a $1.7 billion fine for Medicare fraud. Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Jeff Greene likes to tout his experience as a ‘proven job creator’ as he accumulated a onetime $1.3 billion business empire — yet he still hasn't disclosed information on his finances that would give voters more time to independently evaluate his record. Private business executives have to recognize that running for public office requires more transparency, particularly when their opponents have long public records.
“Scott and Greene have earned vast sums of money in the private sector, but they are unknown and untested politically. They have become competitive in their respective races largely because they have spent millions of their own money on television ads and face weak candidates in primary elections. At least the public records are clear for Attorney General Bill McCollum, who faces Scott in the Republican primary for governor, and U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek of Miami, who faces Greene in the Democratic Senate primary. Scott and Greene are far less transparent and unwilling to go beyond sound bites in describing their track records.
“Scott's posturing is particularly galling as he's been exploiting a family's medical crisis on the campaign trail to prove he is a ‘prolife leader.’ As CEO of Columbia/HCA he continued to fight a lawsuit filed by a Texas couple whose wishes for the treatment of their premature infant daughter were ignored. And his campaign and a third-party committee have spent at least $20 million on television ads, including one that references the fine his hospital company paid after a federal investigation for Medicare fraud. The ad includes Scott saying he is going to give the ‘unvarnished truth’ and that he ‘learned’ from the experience. He notes he was never interviewed by investigators or charged in the case.
“But unvarnished truth apparently has its limits. After the Miami Herald found at least one of Columbia/HCA's illegal practices — giving kickbacks to doctors who referred patients to the company's hospitals — traced back to the original Texas hospitals Scott ran, his campaign declined interview requests. It ultimately issued another oblique and wholly unsatisfactory statement. What lessons did Scott learn? What did he know? Scott won't elaborate. As governor would he insist on giving written statements rather than candid responses to the public?
“Then there is billionaire Greene, who sought a one-month delay June 18 in filing financial disclosure papers required under state election law. Greene claimed his attorney ‘hasn't been able to get it in yet.’ That Greene — who has the cash to hire a posse of professionals — didn't think it was a priority is disconcerting at best. Now it appears he's intent on making voters wait as long as possible by running out the clock.
“With less than six weeks before the Aug. 24 primary, and many ballots already in the mail, time is running short for Scott and Greene to open up to voters about their track records in private business. But they are going to have to offer more than slick television commercials or campaign stump speeches. If they are not comfortable with public disclosure of their private business dealings, they should not be running for public office.”
To view this piece, please visit the St. Petersburg Times online at http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/editorials/article1108979.ece. For more information, campaign news, and updates, visit www.BillMcCollum.com.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
POSTED BY MATT WILLIAMS
Dear George,
The stakes in August’s Republican primary could not be higher. Florida faces a multitude of challenges, including a major jobs shortage, a budget crisis, and a need for a strong conservative leader in the Governor’s Mansion.
On one hand, Florida Republicans can elect Bill McCollum – leading our nation’s legal efforts to repeal President Obama’s health care laws, fighting for meaningful litigation reform to ease Florida’s doctor shortage and lower healthcare costs and working to implement an economic plan that will create 500,000 new jobs over six years.
As a Congressman and Attorney General, Florida’s healthcare community has had no better friend than Bill McCollum. His record on cutting government red tape and ending frivolous lawsuits prompted one of Florida’s most prominent trial lawyers to call Bill “the trial lawyers’ worst nightmare.”
On the other hand, Florida Republicans can put their hopes for our future in disgraced former Columbia CEO Rick Scott, who ran the company as it systematically defrauded the government in the largest Medicare fraud scheme in American history. Using the millions he made from defrauding taxpayers, Rick Scott has taken to the airwaves to mislead Floridians about his record.
As the campaign continues, we learn more about Rick Scott’s questionable background as a healthcare CEO. Here are the facts about Rick Scott’s tenure as Columbia CEO:
· While Rick Scott was CEO of Columbia the company would purchase inferior equipment to cut cost that could hinder doctors abilities to perform their duties:
o “Surgical gloves were thinner and more likely to break, alcohol sponges were smaller, and the valve on new chest drainage tubes substituted by Columbia did not indicate whether the device was turned on or off” (allnurses.com)
o “’Gloves rip easily,’ complained hospital workers in Florida. In California, some nurses protested “filthy conditions” and being “stretched to the limit as the hospital slashed the ratio of nurses to patients” “I sometimes had to watch 72 patients heart monitors at a time,” one nurse reported. “I was told, either do it, or there’s the door.” In Indianapolis nurses complained to state authorities that babies in the neonatal unit were left unattended for as long as three hours.” (healthbeatblog.com: Who is Richard Scott and why is he saying these things about healthcare reform?)
· Richard Scott and Columbia attempted to bribe doctors:
o In 1997, in El Paso, Texas, a Federal jury found that Columbia, “personally” authorized by Rick Scott, had secretly paid doctor Ambrose Aboud $152,000 for "outstanding expenses" that he had not incurred as part of an unlawful conspiracy to defraud the business partner. (Kurt Eichenwald, New York Times: A Health Care Giant's Secret Payments Taint a Texas Deal, March 29, 1997)
o Agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation wrote in a memorandum that executives from hospitals that Columbia was attempting to buy reported that Columbia offered them “perquisites and promises of jobs” and other inducements as bribes to affect their decisions on whether to sell to Columbia. This includes John Geanes, a former administrator of South Miami Hospital who stated before a grand jury that he was approached by several Columbia officials including Rick Scott.( NEW YORK TIMES: HEALTH CARE'S GIANT: Powerhouse Under Scrutiny -- A special report.; Biggest Hospital Operator Attracts Federal Inquiries, March 28, 1997, by Martin Gottlieb, Kurt Eichenwald and Josh Barbanel)
· Rick Scott and Columbia cut doctors that were not bringing in maximum profit, at the expense of patient care
o “The profit pressure that left Lawrence County, which is 71 miles southwest of Nashville, without an obstetrician also helped make Columbia the target of federal investigators. And it began affecting patient care immediately after Columbia's 1994 takeover of Hospital Corp. of America, current and former hospital employees say.”
o “Critics point to one incident in 1994, when Columbia cut back on services at a money-losing hospital in Destin, Fla. A man injured in a boating accident was left pleading from his stretcher for emergency room staff to treat him, as yellow tape blocked entry to the ER door.” (John Hendren, Hospital chain's profits took toll on patient care, employees say” John Hendren, AP, Hospital chain's profits took toll on patient care, employees say, 9/7/1997)
With the Florida Medical Association’s recent announcement to unanimously endorse Attorney General Bill McCollum for Governor, we feel the momentum heading into August is on our side. But to ensure it remains that way and to keep Rick Scott and his fraudulent business tactics out of the Governor’s Office, we need your support. Your maximum donation of $500 per person of $1,000 per household will ensure Florida’s medical community will have a strong advocate in the Governor’s Mansion and help us educate Florida Republicans about Rick Scott’s real record as CEO of Columbia. To keep up with Rick Scott’s massive spending, we need your support.
Matt Williams
Campaign Manager
McCollum for Governor
P.S. Support our campaign by clicking here.
The stakes in August’s Republican primary could not be higher. Florida faces a multitude of challenges, including a major jobs shortage, a budget crisis, and a need for a strong conservative leader in the Governor’s Mansion.
On one hand, Florida Republicans can elect Bill McCollum – leading our nation’s legal efforts to repeal President Obama’s health care laws, fighting for meaningful litigation reform to ease Florida’s doctor shortage and lower healthcare costs and working to implement an economic plan that will create 500,000 new jobs over six years.
As a Congressman and Attorney General, Florida’s healthcare community has had no better friend than Bill McCollum. His record on cutting government red tape and ending frivolous lawsuits prompted one of Florida’s most prominent trial lawyers to call Bill “the trial lawyers’ worst nightmare.”
On the other hand, Florida Republicans can put their hopes for our future in disgraced former Columbia CEO Rick Scott, who ran the company as it systematically defrauded the government in the largest Medicare fraud scheme in American history. Using the millions he made from defrauding taxpayers, Rick Scott has taken to the airwaves to mislead Floridians about his record.
As the campaign continues, we learn more about Rick Scott’s questionable background as a healthcare CEO. Here are the facts about Rick Scott’s tenure as Columbia CEO:
· While Rick Scott was CEO of Columbia the company would purchase inferior equipment to cut cost that could hinder doctors abilities to perform their duties:
o “Surgical gloves were thinner and more likely to break, alcohol sponges were smaller, and the valve on new chest drainage tubes substituted by Columbia did not indicate whether the device was turned on or off” (allnurses.com)
o “’Gloves rip easily,’ complained hospital workers in Florida. In California, some nurses protested “filthy conditions” and being “stretched to the limit as the hospital slashed the ratio of nurses to patients” “I sometimes had to watch 72 patients heart monitors at a time,” one nurse reported. “I was told, either do it, or there’s the door.” In Indianapolis nurses complained to state authorities that babies in the neonatal unit were left unattended for as long as three hours.” (healthbeatblog.com: Who is Richard Scott and why is he saying these things about healthcare reform?)
· Richard Scott and Columbia attempted to bribe doctors:
o In 1997, in El Paso, Texas, a Federal jury found that Columbia, “personally” authorized by Rick Scott, had secretly paid doctor Ambrose Aboud $152,000 for "outstanding expenses" that he had not incurred as part of an unlawful conspiracy to defraud the business partner. (Kurt Eichenwald, New York Times: A Health Care Giant's Secret Payments Taint a Texas Deal, March 29, 1997)
o Agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation wrote in a memorandum that executives from hospitals that Columbia was attempting to buy reported that Columbia offered them “perquisites and promises of jobs” and other inducements as bribes to affect their decisions on whether to sell to Columbia. This includes John Geanes, a former administrator of South Miami Hospital who stated before a grand jury that he was approached by several Columbia officials including Rick Scott.( NEW YORK TIMES: HEALTH CARE'S GIANT: Powerhouse Under Scrutiny -- A special report.; Biggest Hospital Operator Attracts Federal Inquiries, March 28, 1997, by Martin Gottlieb, Kurt Eichenwald and Josh Barbanel)
· Rick Scott and Columbia cut doctors that were not bringing in maximum profit, at the expense of patient care
o “The profit pressure that left Lawrence County, which is 71 miles southwest of Nashville, without an obstetrician also helped make Columbia the target of federal investigators. And it began affecting patient care immediately after Columbia's 1994 takeover of Hospital Corp. of America, current and former hospital employees say.”
o “Critics point to one incident in 1994, when Columbia cut back on services at a money-losing hospital in Destin, Fla. A man injured in a boating accident was left pleading from his stretcher for emergency room staff to treat him, as yellow tape blocked entry to the ER door.” (John Hendren, Hospital chain's profits took toll on patient care, employees say” John Hendren, AP, Hospital chain's profits took toll on patient care, employees say, 9/7/1997)
With the Florida Medical Association’s recent announcement to unanimously endorse Attorney General Bill McCollum for Governor, we feel the momentum heading into August is on our side. But to ensure it remains that way and to keep Rick Scott and his fraudulent business tactics out of the Governor’s Office, we need your support. Your maximum donation of $500 per person of $1,000 per household will ensure Florida’s medical community will have a strong advocate in the Governor’s Mansion and help us educate Florida Republicans about Rick Scott’s real record as CEO of Columbia. To keep up with Rick Scott’s massive spending, we need your support.
Matt Williams
Campaign Manager
McCollum for Governor
P.S. Support our campaign by clicking here.
POSTED BY MATT WILLIAMS
Dear George,
The stakes in August’s Republican primary could not be higher. Florida faces a multitude of challenges, including a major jobs shortage, a budget crisis, and a need for a strong conservative leader in the Governor’s Mansion.
On one hand, Florida Republicans can elect Bill McCollum – leading our nation’s legal efforts to repeal President Obama’s health care laws, fighting for meaningful litigation reform to ease Florida’s doctor shortage and lower healthcare costs and working to implement an economic plan that will create 500,000 new jobs over six years.
As a Congressman and Attorney General, Florida’s healthcare community has had no better friend than Bill McCollum. His record on cutting government red tape and ending frivolous lawsuits prompted one of Florida’s most prominent trial lawyers to call Bill “the trial lawyers’ worst nightmare.”
On the other hand, Florida Republicans can put their hopes for our future in disgraced former Columbia CEO Rick Scott, who ran the company as it systematically defrauded the government in the largest Medicare fraud scheme in American history. Using the millions he made from defrauding taxpayers, Rick Scott has taken to the airwaves to mislead Floridians about his record.
As the campaign continues, we learn more about Rick Scott’s questionable background as a healthcare CEO. Here are the facts about Rick Scott’s tenure as Columbia CEO:
· While Rick Scott was CEO of Columbia the company would purchase inferior equipment to cut cost that could hinder doctors abilities to perform their duties:
o “Surgical gloves were thinner and more likely to break, alcohol sponges were smaller, and the valve on new chest drainage tubes substituted by Columbia did not indicate whether the device was turned on or off” (allnurses.com)
o “’Gloves rip easily,’ complained hospital workers in Florida. In California, some nurses protested “filthy conditions” and being “stretched to the limit as the hospital slashed the ratio of nurses to patients” “I sometimes had to watch 72 patients heart monitors at a time,” one nurse reported. “I was told, either do it, or there’s the door.” In Indianapolis nurses complained to state authorities that babies in the neonatal unit were left unattended for as long as three hours.” (healthbeatblog.com: Who is Richard Scott and why is he saying these things about healthcare reform?)
· Richard Scott and Columbia attempted to bribe doctors:
o In 1997, in El Paso, Texas, a Federal jury found that Columbia, “personally” authorized by Rick Scott, had secretly paid doctor Ambrose Aboud $152,000 for "outstanding expenses" that he had not incurred as part of an unlawful conspiracy to defraud the business partner. (Kurt Eichenwald, New York Times: A Health Care Giant's Secret Payments Taint a Texas Deal, March 29, 1997)
o Agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation wrote in a memorandum that executives from hospitals that Columbia was attempting to buy reported that Columbia offered them “perquisites and promises of jobs” and other inducements as bribes to affect their decisions on whether to sell to Columbia. This includes John Geanes, a former administrator of South Miami Hospital who stated before a grand jury that he was approached by several Columbia officials including Rick Scott.( NEW YORK TIMES: HEALTH CARE'S GIANT: Powerhouse Under Scrutiny -- A special report.; Biggest Hospital Operator Attracts Federal Inquiries, March 28, 1997, by Martin Gottlieb, Kurt Eichenwald and Josh Barbanel)
· Rick Scott and Columbia cut doctors that were not bringing in maximum profit, at the expense of patient care
o “The profit pressure that left Lawrence County, which is 71 miles southwest of Nashville, without an obstetrician also helped make Columbia the target of federal investigators. And it began affecting patient care immediately after Columbia's 1994 takeover of Hospital Corp. of America, current and former hospital employees say.”
o “Critics point to one incident in 1994, when Columbia cut back on services at a money-losing hospital in Destin, Fla. A man injured in a boating accident was left pleading from his stretcher for emergency room staff to treat him, as yellow tape blocked entry to the ER door.” (John Hendren, Hospital chain's profits took toll on patient care, employees say” John Hendren, AP, Hospital chain's profits took toll on patient care, employees say, 9/7/1997)
With the Florida Medical Association’s recent announcement to unanimously endorse Attorney General Bill McCollum for Governor, we feel the momentum heading into August is on our side. But to ensure it remains that way and to keep Rick Scott and his fraudulent business tactics out of the Governor’s Office, we need your support. Your maximum donation of $500 per person of $1,000 per household will ensure Florida’s medical community will have a strong advocate in the Governor’s Mansion and help us educate Florida Republicans about Rick Scott’s real record as CEO of Columbia. To keep up with Rick Scott’s massive spending, we need your support.
Matt Williams
Campaign Manager
McCollum for Governor
P.S. Support our campaign by clicking here.
The stakes in August’s Republican primary could not be higher. Florida faces a multitude of challenges, including a major jobs shortage, a budget crisis, and a need for a strong conservative leader in the Governor’s Mansion.
On one hand, Florida Republicans can elect Bill McCollum – leading our nation’s legal efforts to repeal President Obama’s health care laws, fighting for meaningful litigation reform to ease Florida’s doctor shortage and lower healthcare costs and working to implement an economic plan that will create 500,000 new jobs over six years.
As a Congressman and Attorney General, Florida’s healthcare community has had no better friend than Bill McCollum. His record on cutting government red tape and ending frivolous lawsuits prompted one of Florida’s most prominent trial lawyers to call Bill “the trial lawyers’ worst nightmare.”
On the other hand, Florida Republicans can put their hopes for our future in disgraced former Columbia CEO Rick Scott, who ran the company as it systematically defrauded the government in the largest Medicare fraud scheme in American history. Using the millions he made from defrauding taxpayers, Rick Scott has taken to the airwaves to mislead Floridians about his record.
As the campaign continues, we learn more about Rick Scott’s questionable background as a healthcare CEO. Here are the facts about Rick Scott’s tenure as Columbia CEO:
· While Rick Scott was CEO of Columbia the company would purchase inferior equipment to cut cost that could hinder doctors abilities to perform their duties:
o “Surgical gloves were thinner and more likely to break, alcohol sponges were smaller, and the valve on new chest drainage tubes substituted by Columbia did not indicate whether the device was turned on or off” (allnurses.com)
o “’Gloves rip easily,’ complained hospital workers in Florida. In California, some nurses protested “filthy conditions” and being “stretched to the limit as the hospital slashed the ratio of nurses to patients” “I sometimes had to watch 72 patients heart monitors at a time,” one nurse reported. “I was told, either do it, or there’s the door.” In Indianapolis nurses complained to state authorities that babies in the neonatal unit were left unattended for as long as three hours.” (healthbeatblog.com: Who is Richard Scott and why is he saying these things about healthcare reform?)
· Richard Scott and Columbia attempted to bribe doctors:
o In 1997, in El Paso, Texas, a Federal jury found that Columbia, “personally” authorized by Rick Scott, had secretly paid doctor Ambrose Aboud $152,000 for "outstanding expenses" that he had not incurred as part of an unlawful conspiracy to defraud the business partner. (Kurt Eichenwald, New York Times: A Health Care Giant's Secret Payments Taint a Texas Deal, March 29, 1997)
o Agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation wrote in a memorandum that executives from hospitals that Columbia was attempting to buy reported that Columbia offered them “perquisites and promises of jobs” and other inducements as bribes to affect their decisions on whether to sell to Columbia. This includes John Geanes, a former administrator of South Miami Hospital who stated before a grand jury that he was approached by several Columbia officials including Rick Scott.( NEW YORK TIMES: HEALTH CARE'S GIANT: Powerhouse Under Scrutiny -- A special report.; Biggest Hospital Operator Attracts Federal Inquiries, March 28, 1997, by Martin Gottlieb, Kurt Eichenwald and Josh Barbanel)
· Rick Scott and Columbia cut doctors that were not bringing in maximum profit, at the expense of patient care
o “The profit pressure that left Lawrence County, which is 71 miles southwest of Nashville, without an obstetrician also helped make Columbia the target of federal investigators. And it began affecting patient care immediately after Columbia's 1994 takeover of Hospital Corp. of America, current and former hospital employees say.”
o “Critics point to one incident in 1994, when Columbia cut back on services at a money-losing hospital in Destin, Fla. A man injured in a boating accident was left pleading from his stretcher for emergency room staff to treat him, as yellow tape blocked entry to the ER door.” (John Hendren, Hospital chain's profits took toll on patient care, employees say” John Hendren, AP, Hospital chain's profits took toll on patient care, employees say, 9/7/1997)
With the Florida Medical Association’s recent announcement to unanimously endorse Attorney General Bill McCollum for Governor, we feel the momentum heading into August is on our side. But to ensure it remains that way and to keep Rick Scott and his fraudulent business tactics out of the Governor’s Office, we need your support. Your maximum donation of $500 per person of $1,000 per household will ensure Florida’s medical community will have a strong advocate in the Governor’s Mansion and help us educate Florida Republicans about Rick Scott’s real record as CEO of Columbia. To keep up with Rick Scott’s massive spending, we need your support.
Matt Williams
Campaign Manager
McCollum for Governor
P.S. Support our campaign by clicking here.
NEW POST BY DR. GEORGE M. SUAREZ
Please read the press release below. Rick Scott has the same answer when faced with his responsibilities in all of his investments and business affairs: "As for Scott's answer that he doesn't know about all the activities of all the companies he has invested in."
Scott lies, lies and lies. Either that or he is more stupid than I thought. But make no doubt, he did not make millions by being stupid. He did it by being a liar and cheating along the way. He claims he did not know about HCA's 1.7 billion fraud too. Boy what can we expect from him if elected Governor of Florida. Maybe just another: "I didn't know, I am just the Governor." Putting him as Governor would be the beginning of the end for Florida.
George M. Suarez, M.D.
-----Original Message-----
From: McCollum Communications
To: gmsuarezmd@aol.com
Sent: Wed, Jul 14, 2010 2:59 pm
Subject: Press Release: McCollum Campaign to Rick Scott: Come Clean on Your Profits from Abortions, Illegal Immigrants, and the Obama Stimulus
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JULY 14, 2010
CONTACT: Kristy Campbell
850-241-1885
kristy@billmccollum.com
MCCOLLUM CAMPAIGN TO RICK SCOTT: COME CLEAN ON YOUR PROFITS FROM ABORTIONS, ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS AND THE OBAMA STIMULUS
Tallahassee, FL – Today, McCollum for Governor Campaign Manager Matt Williams issued the following statement regarding Rick Scott’s hypocrisy on the issues of abortion, immigration and the stimulus.
“Last night, Rick Scott was rightfully questioned about his conflicting positions on issues important to conservatives, but instead of providing his usual evasiveness, this time he flat out lied.
“Rick Scott’s unwillingness to come clean on how much he has made from elective abortions, illegal immigrants and the Obama stimulus raise serious concerns about his character, and prove he cannot be trusted on any issue.
“Floridians deserve to know exactly how much Rick Scott has profited from the very practices he claims he opposes. He claims he is a “pro-life” leader, and yet as CEO of Columbia/HCA, he failed to stop abortions from happening at his hospitals and took the profits. He claims he will work to curb illegal immigration in Florida, and yet he is happy to take profits from a company facilitating money transfers from illegal immigrants in the United States to their families in Mexico. And in perhaps the most shocking of all hypocrisies, he made at least $4 million from the Obama stimulus as a “controlling member” of Xfone – the same stimulus he claims he would “fight” as governor.
Rick Scott can only evade questions on his hypocritical positions for so long. If Rick Scott really believes in accountability, he can start by releasing his tax returns to prove he always puts his principles over his profits.”
BACKGROUND
In an article entitled “Tea Party supporters in West Delray Beach press GOP governor hopeful Rick Scott on financial issues,” the Palm Beach Post today reported on Rick Scott’s failure to provide answers to an audience of tea party supporters in Delray Beach.
According to the article, “Asked if any of the companies he invests in have received federal stimulus money, Scott said: "I have no idea. You know, I have a variety of investments."
“Politico.com reported last month that Xfone, a company in which Scott had a 17 percent stake in 2008, has received $60 million in stimulus money.
As for Scott's answer that he doesn't know about all the activities of all the companies he has invested in, a woman in the audience shouted: "I think you'd better find out real soon.”
To read the full article, please visit the Palm Beach Post at http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/state/tea-party-supporters-in-west-delray-beach-press-801295.html.
For more information, campaign news, and updates, visit www.BillMcCollum.com.
Scott lies, lies and lies. Either that or he is more stupid than I thought. But make no doubt, he did not make millions by being stupid. He did it by being a liar and cheating along the way. He claims he did not know about HCA's 1.7 billion fraud too. Boy what can we expect from him if elected Governor of Florida. Maybe just another: "I didn't know, I am just the Governor." Putting him as Governor would be the beginning of the end for Florida.
George M. Suarez, M.D.
-----Original Message-----
From: McCollum Communications
To: gmsuarezmd@aol.com
Sent: Wed, Jul 14, 2010 2:59 pm
Subject: Press Release: McCollum Campaign to Rick Scott: Come Clean on Your Profits from Abortions, Illegal Immigrants, and the Obama Stimulus
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JULY 14, 2010
CONTACT: Kristy Campbell
850-241-1885
kristy@billmccollum.com
MCCOLLUM CAMPAIGN TO RICK SCOTT: COME CLEAN ON YOUR PROFITS FROM ABORTIONS, ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS AND THE OBAMA STIMULUS
Tallahassee, FL – Today, McCollum for Governor Campaign Manager Matt Williams issued the following statement regarding Rick Scott’s hypocrisy on the issues of abortion, immigration and the stimulus.
“Last night, Rick Scott was rightfully questioned about his conflicting positions on issues important to conservatives, but instead of providing his usual evasiveness, this time he flat out lied.
“Rick Scott’s unwillingness to come clean on how much he has made from elective abortions, illegal immigrants and the Obama stimulus raise serious concerns about his character, and prove he cannot be trusted on any issue.
“Floridians deserve to know exactly how much Rick Scott has profited from the very practices he claims he opposes. He claims he is a “pro-life” leader, and yet as CEO of Columbia/HCA, he failed to stop abortions from happening at his hospitals and took the profits. He claims he will work to curb illegal immigration in Florida, and yet he is happy to take profits from a company facilitating money transfers from illegal immigrants in the United States to their families in Mexico. And in perhaps the most shocking of all hypocrisies, he made at least $4 million from the Obama stimulus as a “controlling member” of Xfone – the same stimulus he claims he would “fight” as governor.
Rick Scott can only evade questions on his hypocritical positions for so long. If Rick Scott really believes in accountability, he can start by releasing his tax returns to prove he always puts his principles over his profits.”
BACKGROUND
In an article entitled “Tea Party supporters in West Delray Beach press GOP governor hopeful Rick Scott on financial issues,” the Palm Beach Post today reported on Rick Scott’s failure to provide answers to an audience of tea party supporters in Delray Beach.
According to the article, “Asked if any of the companies he invests in have received federal stimulus money, Scott said: "I have no idea. You know, I have a variety of investments."
“Politico.com reported last month that Xfone, a company in which Scott had a 17 percent stake in 2008, has received $60 million in stimulus money.
As for Scott's answer that he doesn't know about all the activities of all the companies he has invested in, a woman in the audience shouted: "I think you'd better find out real soon.”
To read the full article, please visit the Palm Beach Post at http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/state/tea-party-supporters-in-west-delray-beach-press-801295.html.
For more information, campaign news, and updates, visit www.BillMcCollum.com.
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