My, my Gordito .... we're embattled? You've got to be kidding
... urgent ... no such thing ...controversy has swelled?
Between your ears, perhaps ... and you repeat again the fallacy
that we denied anything ... we never have denied the problem
....And you deny taking insurance company money? You're on the
record taking Rooney's money and since you won't reveal your
other sources of money, one can only assume you need to hide
it.So much for transparency. And don't trot out that old line
about protecting them from retaliation ...and you got it from an
AHA insider? C'mon KB we sent copies of the letters to all of
our members, all the state associations and many others. I
wouldn't ask you if you have no shame .... the answer is
obvious. We're trying to find answer to all this that doesn't
play into the hands of your employers .. the insurance
companies. By the way, we noted how fast the insurance industry
journals picked up your press release ...oh, whoops ... a
conincidence I'm sure.
Rick
-----Original
Message-----
From: Mitchell, Alicia
Sent: Tuesday, March
07, 2006 4:05 PM
To: Wade, Rick; Coyle,
Carmela; Pollack, Rick; Nickels, Thomas; Hatton, Mindy; Reiter, Jim;
Ahnen, Steve
Cc: Allen, David;
Armstrong Gay, Jennifer; Fenwick, Matthew; Lee, Amy; Lietz,
Elizabeth
Subject: FW: BREAKING:
Embattled AHA hits panic button after shocking 60 Mins expose!
The latest....
-----Original
Message-----
From: Audrey Mullen [mailto:audrey@advocacyink.com]
Sent: Tuesday, March
07, 2006 2:58 PM
To: Audrey Mullen
Subject: BREAKING:
Embattled AHA hits panic button after shocking 60 Mins expose!
CONSEJO DE LATINOS UNIDOS
A National Non-Profit Organization with Offices in Los Angeles and
Miami
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CONTACT: Audrey
Mullen 703-548-1160
Tuesday March 7, 2006
AHA HITS PANIC BUTTON AFTER 60
MINUTES FALL-OUT!
Embattled Trade Association Dispatches Letter to CBS;
Attacks Leader of Hispanic Advocacy Group
LOS ANGELES, CA - Dick Davidson, President of the embattled American
Hospital Association (AHA), dispatched an urgent letter to Dan
Rather of CBS' 60 Minutes yesterday after the fall-out from a
segment that ran on the highly rated news magazine on Sunday.
Controversy has swelled after an AHA senior vice president twice
denied that hospitals overcharge uninsured patients and called the
abuse accusations by a powerful U.S. Senator "nothing of the sort"
on the program.
In his letter, Davidson lashes out at K.B. Forbes, who was part of
Sunday's segment and is Executive Director of the Consejo de Latinos
Unidos, a national advocacy group that educates and assists the
uninsured, writing, "It would have been fairer if you had given your
viewers a more complete portrait of who K.B. Forbes is. Labeling him
a community activist, you did point out his relationship with
conservative politicians. Wouldn't the documented fact that the
health insurance industry has financed some of his 'activism' be
relevant for the public to know? That was missing from your report."
Reacting to Davidson's letter, Forbes said, "How hypocritical that
Dick rants to CBS about being 'fairer' when his hospitals are
unfairly and immorally price gouging the uninsured. Has he no shame?
The unjust action of hospitals who charge uninsured families three,
four or ten times more than what an insurance company would pay is
the issue at hand."
According to Forbes, the Consejo de Latinos Unidos receives no money
from insurance companies, labor unions, or political parties and
that the single largest donation to the Consejo to date came out of
Illinois from a hospital-related entity. The Consejo, however, does
receive intellectual help from hospital executives, insurance
operators, and other health care experts.
The Consejo received a copy of the letter from an AHA insider this
morning. "Dick needs to understand that the AHA is doing a great
disservice to its members and his association is beginning to crack.
Disgruntled AHA members are always welcome to contact the Consejo
directly," Forbes said.
Forbes, a long-time activist who once was an English as a Second
Language instructor in South Central Los Angeles and a Hispanic
Affairs columnist for a large suburban daily, quipped, "If I were
married to a health insurance executive, would Dick want me to
divorce?"
Interested parties may email
Audrey@ advocacyink.com for a copy of the AHA
letter to CBS.
-30-
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