CONSEJO APPLAUDS CONTROVERSIAL CATHOLIC TV ADS  

Civil Rights Champion Takes on Billion-Dollar Profits and Excessive Executive Pay by Catholic “Not-for-Profit” Hospitals 

EAST LOS ANGELES, CA—Consejo de Latinos Unidos, the national non-profit organization that educates and assists uninsured Hispanics and others, applauded the new paid media effort by the Fairness Foundation that will educate viewers and listeners to the outrageous profits and excessive executive pay by so-called not-for profit Catholic hospitals which price gouge uninsured patients, charging them excessively. The radio and TV ads call on the IRS to end the “highway robbery” of uninsured patients. 

Last year, the Consejo released a report showing that the top 7 Catholic hospital systems raked in over $2 billion in profits in 2004, are sitting on over $20 billion in cash and investments, and continue to price gouge uninsured Hispanics, 9 of 10 of whom are Catholic. 

The Fairness Foundation is headed by J. Patrick Rooney, a practicing Catholic and longtime civil rights champion from Indianapolis. In 1976, Rooney spent $2 million over eight years after filing a civil rights suit against the State of Illinois for discriminating against minorities who wanted to become insurance agents. The suit was settled in 1984 and was a major victory for equality and fairness.  

“Rooney has always defended the rights of minorities and started the first school choice program in 1991 to provide better educational opportunities for inner-city children, many whom happen to be Black or Hispanic,” said Rodrigo Webb, a Consejo Board Member based in Indianapolis. “Some Catholic Hospitals have taken advantage of working-class minorities and it is time they be held accountable. The public has the right to know and we applaud these educational television and radio advertisements.” 

The Consejo has the ads posted on its website www.catholicdisgrace.com