Rick Scott's Medicaid Overhaul to Benefit…Rick Scott?

[marmar]

from Mother Jones:




Rick Scott's Medicaid Overhaul to Benefit…Rick Scott?
Florida's governor is pushing a privatization plan that could be a major boon for health care companies. Like his.

— By Suzy Khimm
Fri Mar. 25, 2011 12:01 AM PDT


Republican governor Rick Scott's push to privatize Medicaid in Florida is highly controversial—not least because the health care business Scott handed over to his wife when he took office could reap a major profit if the legislation becomes law.

Scott and Florida Republicans are currently trying to enact a sweeping Medicaid reform bill that would give HMOs and other private health care companies unprecedented control over the government health care program for the poor. Among the companies that stand to benefit from the bill is Solantic, a chain of urgent-care clinics aimed at providing emergency services to walk-in customers. The Florida governor founded Solantic in 2001, only a few years after he resigned as the CEO of hospital giant Columbia/HCA amid a massive Medicare fraud scandal. In January, he transferred his $62 million stake in Solantic to his wife, Ann Scott, a homemaker involved in various charitable organizations.

Florida Democrats and independent legal experts say this handover hardly absolves Scott of a major conflict of interest. As part of a federally approved pilot program that began in 2005, certain Medicaid patients in Florida were allowed to start using their Medicaid dollars at private clinics like Solantic. The Medicaid bill that Scott is now pushing would expand the pilot privatization program to the entire state of Florida, offering Solantic a huge new business opportunity.

"This is a conflict of interest that raises a serious ethical issue," says Marc Rodwin, a medical ethics professor at Suffolk University Law School in Boston. "The public should be thinking and worrying about this." .............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://motherjones.com/politics/2011/03/rick-scott-florida-medicaid-solantic

[WinkyDink]

1. LOOTING. It's WHAT REPUBLICANS DO. It is their RAISON D'ETRE. They are, in sum, CRIMINALS.

There is no other------------NO OTHER-----------------reason they run for office, ON ANY LEVEL.

GDITH, when WILL America GET IT???

(I do not exclude certain "Democrats," BTW. Mr. Geithner comes to mind, as does Mr. Duncan.)

[Hannah Bell]

11. +100

[beac]

2. Pathetic and sad but, alas, not shocking at this point.

Piggies at the trough and Scott is one of the hungriest hogs.

[NightWatcher]

3. nothing unethical here, Scott turned control of Solantic over..........

to his wife before taking office.

[drm604]

4. CRIMINALS

These people are CRIMINALS!

CRIMINALS!
CRIMINALS!
CRIMINALS!

Privatization isn't about ideology. It's about the almighty dollar. It's about lining the pockets of these politicians and their cronies. Do we need anymore proof?

Will the people of Florida stand for this?

[drm604]

5. Ever notice how many of these men hide behind their wives' skirts?

"Oh no, I don't own that..."

[malaise]

6. Any state that voted for the Medicare Fraud criminal

as their governor deserves what they get.

[drm604]

7. Even the people who voted against him?

[malaise]

10. No you are victims

My sis, her husband and kids voted against him as well

[drm604]

12. *They* are the victims. I'm not a Floridian.

I'm in Pennsylvania, so we have to deal with Corbett (who I did not vote for).

[Scuba]

8. Why was this guy NOT in prison when he was RUNNING for Governor??? n/t

[AC_Mem]

9. So Clarence Thomas's wife creates an ethical issue

But THIS is okay? Where are the lawyers? Where are the lawsuits?

Where is Alan Grayson? I really miss him.

Geez - I'm not moving to Florida until these idiots are out of office!!!!

Annette