Ex-Hospital CEO Battles Reform Effort - Enemy #1 Rick Scott Coordinating with "Swift Boat" PR Firm.

Ex-Hospital CEO Battles Reform Effort
Ads Cite Long Waits In Canada and Britain

By Dan Eggen
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, May 11, 2009

The television ads that began airing last week feature horror stories from Canada and the United Kingdom: Patients who allegedly suffered long waits for surgeries, couldn't get the drugs they needed, or had to come to the United States for treatment.

"Before government rushes to overhaul health care, listen to those who already have government-run health care," intones Rick Scott, founder of a group called Conservatives for Patients' Rights. "Tell Congress to listen, too."

Scott, a multimillionaire investor and controversial former hospital chief executive, has become an unlikely and prominent leader of the opposition to health-care reform plans that Congress is expected to take up later this year. While disorganized Republicans and major health-care companies wait for Obama and Democratic leaders to reveal the details of their plan before criticizing it, Scott is using $5 million of his own money and up to $15 million more from supporters to try to build resistance to any government-run program.

The campaign is being coordinated by CRC Public Relations, the group that masterminded the "Swift boat" attacks against Democratic presidential candidate John F. Kerry, and is inspired by the "Harry and Louise" ads that helped torpedo health-care reform during the Clinton administration.

"Everybody wants to say I'm against Obama's plan, but I'm not necessarily," Scott said in an interview last week. "The bottom line is that this is happening fast, and there is not much of a debate going on about what will happen if we go down this path."

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/10/AR2009051002243_pf.html

about health care, telling others how they should think. I'm hoping their tactics don't work this time.

even improve the health care system.

and barely even reported on though it occurred during a major speech to the Firefighters Convention.

The corporate media then pretended like it never occurred at all, and many Democrats continue to push the corpmedia's preferred storyline.

What the hell is wrong with people like this? Like you say, they never have to worry about their own health care, but for some reason they're hellbent on driving up costs and denying care to everyone else. It's infuriating. :banghead:

if you don't have the cash or insurance for your drugs or surgery you will wait until you die.

18,000 Americans die every year because they don't have access to health care - that's the government's number so you can bet the actual count is a lot hight.

Hope this jerk can sleep at night while the sick are denied the care they need and our so-called health care system grounds to a halt. :puke:

piece of wasted human genes decides to try to scare americans with horror stories about canada and england health care. Another clueless asshat that doesn't have a clue about the nightmare of having CEO's decide what types of treatment americans who aren't sucking off the corporate welfare teat can have instead of their doctors saying what treatments they need. Boy, I wonder why america is waking up to the fact that conservatives know nothing about america and her needs.

coupled with the corporate media's assistance, they'll probably prevail.

The President has pledged "unprecedented commitment". We'll need it.

House Reps. and Senators. Bet they wouldn't run it down. Sounds like they get good care.

Also Medicare recipients and other govt. insured people.

If they think rationing isn't already happening here, they are completely out of the loop.

Lame ad, honestly. It went like..."Before they impose government-run healthcare on us...let's meet some people who have dealt with that type of system..."

...a long wait for surgery...or no ability to get surgery at all...

What a tough choice...:sarcasm:

Back in 2004, they weren't just the PR firm for the Swiftboaters. They also promoted the CBS "Memogate" story. Their clients included the Republican National Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee -- as well Regnery Publishing (which published the Swiftboaters' book) and Progress for America (the 527 founded by Karl Rove's pal Tony Feather.)

We haven't heard much from them recently -- I don't recall them being active in the 2008 campaign -- but I guess they haven't really gone away. Just reduced their name to initials and found new kinds of crap to get involved in.

I guess that like everybody else they've realized that the real money these days is not coming from the Republican Party but from the corporations.

yuck.