Thursday, August 06, 2009

Smells Like Journalism Spirit!

Please sir, may I have some more of this? Preferably much more.

CNN Anchor Rips Into Health Care CEO Who's Funding Anti-Reform Effort

A CNN anchor today tore down Rick Scott, the founder of an organization that's been funding anti-health care reform protests and the former CEO of a hospital company that, as Sanchez pointed out, paid $1.7 billion to settle charges of overcharging Medicare and Medicaid.

It was brutal.

Sanchez started simply, asking Scott, the founder of Conservatives for Patients' Rights, if he takes credit for the recent disruptions at health care reform events. Scott responded, "It'd be nice too, right?" before saying he thought everyone should go to meetings, but "oughta be nicer about it."

Then Sanchez started in on him, describing the charges and fines against Scott's company, the Columbia Hospital Corporation.

"Some would argue, and it would be hard to say they're wrong, that you would be the poster child for everything that's wrong with the greed that has hurt our current health care system," Sanchez said.

Scott tried to defend himself, saying other companies were fined in the big health care fraud scandals of the 1990s. Sanchez stopped him.

"How much more wrong can you be than what you just said? Not only is your company screwed up, and you just admitted to it, but you said look at all the other companies, they did the same thing," Sanchez said. "It doesn't sound like a sterling system we have here, does it?"

And when Scott tried to shirk responsibility for the fines, saying they were leveled after he left the company, Sanchez put his foot down.

"No, no, no, no! You're playing with the facts, sir!" he said.

"Some people are gonna look at your record ... and say, 'This is the guy leading this charge? Is he the one we should be listening to?' Not exactly a perfect past when it comes to what's right for taxpayers and patients," Sanchez said.

"Absolutely," Scott said.

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