Would You Believe an Ad from Conservatives for Patients' Rights? Only if You Don't Read the Details Below

I received the following email alert from Health Care for America Now:

Conservatives for Patients' Rights? tries to swift-boat President Obama's health care plan with false and misleading claims. Click here for the ad or watch below.

Rick Scott, who's for-profit hospital chain is famous for defrauding Medicare, has put $1 million of his riches behind this ad, which is on CNN and FOX News right now.

These TV stations have policies against airing untrue advertisements. Our partner SEIU has sent a letter to CNN and FOX, pointing out the falsehoods and asking for the ad to be taken off the air.

How deceptive is the ad? You won't believe how low this bottom feeder, Rick Scott, can go.

Rick Scott’s ad contains blatantly false statements and misleading edits. We've teamed up with SEIU to call on cable news networks to adhere to their own 'truth-in-advertising' policies and pull these ads.

Mr. Scott makes a specific claim: "not only could a government board deny your choice in doctors, but it can control life and death for some patients." This statement is demonstrably false. In reality, the powers of this so-called "government board" are clearly defined and cannot do what Mr. Scott claims. The statutory authority of the Council specifically excludes the power "to mandate coverage, reimbursement, or other policies for any public or private payer." It is worth noting that even under President Bush, the National Institute of Health already had an annual budget of $355 million to conduct precisely this type of research.

The advertisement further deceives viewers by blatantly misrepresenting the positions of two physicians. While the advertisement paints both as opponents of any role for government in health care reform, in reality, just the opposite is true. Both physicians are in fact supporters of universal health care. What they are opposed to is the U.S.'two-tiered' system that already rations health care based on the ability to pay. In fact, Mr. Scott misrepresented Dr. Day's comments, and Dr. Day openly mocked the ineffectiveness of the U.S. health care system. What Dr. Day is opposed to is Canada's outdated funding model, not Canada's healthcare system. Dr. Day actually advocates reform of the funding structure to preserve Canada's healthcare system, not dismantle it.

Rick Scott is the face of our current health care debacle. A lying thief profiting from the pain and sicknesses of others. The fact that he's willing to be in the spotlight shows how arrogant he and the health care industry is in this country. Maybe he and Sen. Ben Nelson (who is concerned the insurance industry's bottom line might be adversly affected with a public plan) can share a story or two about how many lives they've destroyed.