Fox News' Hemmer allowed former CEO of scandal-plagued hospital firm to spread stimulus health care falsehood
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SUMMARY: On America's Newsroom, Bill Hemmer allowed Richard Scott, whom Hemmer did not note resigned as chairman of HCA, Inc. amid a federal investigation, to falsely claim that a provision in the stimulus bill allows the federal government to "take away" some of patients' health care "choices." In fact, the provision in question allocates funds for the research of "the comparative effectiveness of health care treatments and strategies," but in no way does the law empower the council to dictate which treatments may or may not be prescribed.
During the March 5 edition of Fox News' America's Newsroom, co-host Bill Hemmer allowed Conservatives for Patients' Rights (CPR) chairman Richard Scott to falsely claim that in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, "there was a federal -- national board that's going to look at treatments, look at drugs, and have an impact on what your doctor's going to prescribe or what treatment. So they're going to take away, likely, some of your choices." Scott's claim echoed misrepresentations of a provision in the recovery act that establishes a Federal Coordinating Council for Comparative Effectiveness Research and calls for funding to "be used to accelerate the development and dissemination of research assessing the comparative effectiveness of health care treatments and strategies" and for the Health and Human Services secretary to "consider any recommendations" by the council. But the law in no way empowers the council to dictate which treatments may or may not be prescribed.
Indeed, the act makes this point explicitly:
(g) RULES OF CONSTRUCTION. --
(1) COVERAGE. -- Nothing in this section shall be construed to permit the Council to mandate coverage, reimbursement, or other policies for any public or private payer.
(2) REPORTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS. -- None of the reports submitted under this section or recommendations made by the Council shall be construed as mandates or clinical guidelines for payment, coverage, or treatment.
Additionally, Hemmer failed to note that Scott resigned as chairman of the nation's largest for-profit health care company in 1997 amid a federal investigation into the company's Medicare billing, physician recruiting, and home-care practices. According to a July 26, 1997, Los Angeles Times article, Scott resigned "as chairman of Columbia/HCA Healthcare Corp. amid a massive federal investigation into the Medicare billing, physician recruiting and home-care practices of the nation's largest for-profit health care company." On December 15, 2000, Forbes reported that HCA -- The Heathcare Company, formerly Columbia/HCA Healthcare -- "pleaded guilty to a variety of fraud charges. It admitted to bilking various government programs and agreed to pay a total of $840 million in fines and penalties." Forbes also reported that "Scott was forced to resign in the wake of the initial fraud charges in 1997."
Hemmer identified Scott only as the chairman of CPR, and the on-screen text stated:
The March 3 edition of Fox News' Special Report similarly failed to note Scott's scandal-plagued history while also spreading misinformation about Democratic health care legislation. Fox News has also frequently promoted the falsehood that the recovery act will lead to government restrictions on medical treatments.
From the March 5 edition of Fox News' America's Newsroom:
HEMMER: Hey, there's a major event this afternoon at the White House, when the president unveils his plans for remaking health care. Meanwhile, there's a group called Conservatives for Patients' Rights, and they are ready to respond -- this week launching a multimillion-dollar web, TV, and ad campaign in opposition to what you'll hear later today. Listen up.
[begin video clip]
SCOTT: With Congress starting on health care, let's remind the politicians: Americans know what works. Choice: that means choosing your own doctor. Competition: disclose prices and performance up front. Accountability: to give you the same tax breaks for insurance employers get. And personal responsibility: reward healthy choices. Let's have real reform that puts patients first.
NARRATOR: Conservatives for Patients' Rights: defending your choice in health care.
[end video clip]
HEMMER: And today the arguments begin. The group's leader -- you saw him in the ad -- he's my guest now: CPR chairman Rick Scott. Rick, good morning to you.
SCOTT: Good morning, Bill. Thanks for the invitation.
HEMMER: Lay out your case -- lay out your case. Why are you against this?
SCOTT: Well, we're not against it, because we don't know what the bill is. We don't know the plan. What we know is they raised $634 billion in taxes, and we know in -- but we don't know plan. And we know that in the stimulus bill, surprisingly, there was a federal -- national board that's going to look at treatments, look at drugs, and have an impact on what your doctor's going to prescribe or what treatment. So they're going to take away, likely, some of your choices.
HEMMER: All right, you wrote a letter --
SCOTT: Now what --
HEMMER: You wrote a letter --
SCOTT: -- if you think about what --
HEMMER: I'm sorry, there's a bit of an interrupt here on the satellite, my apologies. You wrote a letter to the president -- on-screen, you can see it there. This is what the White House is going to say. They're going to come out today and say, look, the economy is a mess; health care is a mess. If we improve health care, we will help improve the economy.
In part, the president will say the following -- and [Fox News White House correspondent] Major Garrett shared this 30 minutes ago: "The cost of health care now causes a bankruptcy in America every 30 seconds. By the end of the year, it could cause 1.5 million Americans to lose their homes. Making investments and reform now won't add to our budget deficits but, rather, it is one of the best ways to reduce them." Your response?
SCOTT: Well, if you want to fix health care, the problem is purely cost. Every -- every problem in health care is based on cost. We know that every time the government gets involved in anything, costs go up. So, if you want cost to come down, you've got to rely on the free market -- the free market, things like choice. You choose your doctor; choose your health plan. You need competition. You need to know what things cost. You need outcomes. You need accountability. You ought to have the same benefit for taxes that a company has, so people own their own health plan.
And, finally, if you want cost to come down, you've got to reward people for taking care of themselves -- for not smoking, for exercising, for eating right. It'll drive health care costs way down. There's no reason health care costs what it does.
HEMMER: Rick, is your -- is your basic argument about choice, or is it about economic concerns?
SCOTT: Well, clearly, the most important thing in health care is what -- how it impacts you and your family, your kids, your parents -- everything. It -- the first thing we have to do it is fix it for patients. We have to worry about what happens to the patient. Now if you want to do that, you rely on free market principles to do that.
The free market does everything better than the government does it. Every time the government gets involved, costs go up, access goes down. If you look at the Canadian system or you look at the U.K. system, they're moving to what we have. They're moving to choice; they're moving to competition. They're getting away from more and more government involvement.
HEMMER: Well, Rick Scott, thank you for your time today.
I believe I remember seeing another anchor on Fox bring up the letter and the man responding called her on the federal investigation, which she blew off and acted as if it didn't matter.
Well, we're not against it, because we don't know what the bill is. We don't know the plan
Yet they're still going forward with a multi-million dollar ad buy. Any "foundation" with conservative in the name has to be looked at with skepticism.
The liberal media is a myth. As Bill Kristol said, "the liberal media were never that powerful, and the whole thing was often used as an excuse by conservatives for conservative failures." It's called working the ref.
Fortunately, we have MMFA.
They average American will then have to work 100 hours a week just to make ends meet and children will have to work to help the family rather than go to school.
Average Americans? You mean LOSERS... Isn't that what Repubs are saying? If you can't make ends meet then it's your own damn fault? America rewards those who work hard so you must not work hard enough?
First, the tired old figure of 46 million that do not have insurance is a misleading statement. There are 300 million of us here. 25% of that liberal lie is made up of illegal immigrants. (don't qualify) People that make enough money but go without it. People that qualify but simply do not sign up. On and on. A miniscule percentage of this number actually needs this.
What does these folks that do not have insurance have to do with ME? Why am I responsible for them? The Constitution says nothing about me having to be responsible for you pal...
The very reason that we are where we are right now is directly because of government on SO many levels. So much of our system is NOT private to start with. So much of what the insurance companies can or cannot do is mandated by government. States mandate who can do business there. That is why I personally only have a couple of choices. Why can I not take the money that the employer spends on me and purchase a catastrophic plan? The government will not allow that. There is no competition either. If you had to pay each time that you went to a doctor, you would not go so often. You do not have a RIGHT to go to a doctor for every little sniffle. No one calls their doctor and ask what they are going to charge and shop around!
Obama tries to make this sound capitalistic. You can trade within the system, you buy your insurance within the system, etc.
If the government is so great in this instance, why do we continuously hear horror stories of our veterans? If the government treated those appropriately that gave up their health to serve their country, I would not be SO discouraged. You get Aspirin vs. Plavix when you need a blood thinner for instance. Ask the veterans how well socialized medicine has worked for them. Walk into a VA hospital.
To make it all work for EVERYONE, the government will take the appropriate medicines/treatments away from those that have them just to provide a service to everyone. They are going to decide what the insurance company covers and cannot cover. You get an insurance card. It crinkles like an insurance card, looks and feels like one, but it is not the same that you may have now.
Don't be fooled. For if this is allowed to go forward Americans will pay a GREAT price.
What's with the profanity filter?
"25% of that liberal lie is made up of illegal immigrants."
WRONG. Census Bureau data does not distinguish between legal non-citizens and illegal immigrants.
The percentage of uninsured non-citizens is actually about 21% according to the CB data. The "liberal lie" is dependent on how they are phrasing it. If they're saying 46 million American citizens, then it's misleading. If they're saying 46 million people in the US, then it's true. There are 9.7 million uninsured non-citizens in this nation, but how many of them are illegal immigrants is officially unknown.
"What does these folks that do not have insurance have to do with ME? Why am I responsible for them? The Constitution says nothing about me having to be responsible for you pal..."
It's not the Constution that's making you responsible, it's the insurance companies and providers. Uninsured people do not get regular care. They don't seek out care until the last minute when the need is dire or their condition is terminal. When they cannot pay for emergency treatment, it results in what's known as "uncompensated care." The cost of which is passed on to me and you in the form higher medical care costs and higher insurance rates.
"Why can I not take the money that the employer spends on me and purchase a catastrophic plan? The government will not allow that. "
I'm not entirely sure on this one, but I think you're wrong again. I believe you can always opt out of employer coverage, but it's entirely at your employer's option to compensate you for doing so. You may have to depend on your evil government to require them compensate you.