DeLay indictment no big deal- Frist's Columbia/HCA GUILTY medicare fraud

[ElsewheresDaughter]

Frist's family company was found guilty of frauding federal gov't out of billions and ordered to pay $840 million fine.

my question: how is it that Frist is allowed to become a Senator and the majority leader? it appears that this doesn't matter to rethuglicans :puke:

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=513&ncid=703&e=9&u=/ap/20041126/ap_on_go_ot/whistleblowers_glance

Top Settlements Under False Claims Act

Fri Nov 26, 4:55 PM ET U.S. Government - AP

By The Associated Press

A sampling of top settlements under the False Claims Act, a law designed to stop fraud in government procurement contracts, and the whistleblowers who helped the government win the awards, and helping themselves as well.

In 2000, the Healthcare Company, formerly Columbia/HCA, pleaded guilty to criminal conduct and agreed to pay more than $840 million in criminal fines, civil penalties and damages for unlawful billing practices. Most of the money was recovered under the False Claims Act. Later, HCA agreed to pay $631 million to settle charges that it submitted false claims to Medicare and paid kickbacks to physicians. The settlements were the largest for fraud ever negotiated by the Justice Department (news - web sites). Whistleblowers Jim Alderson and John Schilling split $100 million of one settlement before legal fees and taxes and Alderson, in a related case, was given about $20 million.

http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/healthcare/nw/nw002940.php3

Sen. Bill Frist, R-Tenn., is a bad choice to succeed Trent Lott as Senate majority leader because of ties to "corporate swindles," the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights said today.

Frist reportedly is among the frontrunners for replacing the Mississippi Republican, who announced today that he will not take the post of majority leader in the next session of Congress. The Santa Monica-based foundation said Frist's "ownership and entanglement with one of America's biggest corporate criminals, Columbia HCA, should prevent him from leading the U.S. Senate."
Columbia HCA is the predecessor to HCA, the nation's largest hospital company. Representatives for Frist and HCA could not be reached to respond to the allegations.

According to the foundation, Frist's family founded Columbia HCA and the senator owns "at least $25 million in stock" in the company.

HCA agreed Wednesday to pay more than $880 million to settle government accusations of health care fraud, Reuters reported. Combined with the company's prior settlements with the government over fraud allegations, Columbia HCA has agreed to pay a total of more than $1.7 billion in penalties, the largest figure ever assessed in a health care fraud case, according to Reuters.

Frist should step aside as a candidate for majority leader "because he owned and profited from one of America's worst corporate criminals," the foundation states. In the Senate, the foundation alleges, "he has used this influence to further HCA's cause by stopping a strong patients"bill of rights,' gridlocking a mandatory Medicare prescription drug benefit and promoting caps on damages for victims who sue negligent hospitals like HCA. "If Frist was a patriot first, he would have sold his HCA stock a long time ago."

[NJCher]

1. our government is in the hands of criminals

Look at bush and Arbusto. If his behavior were judged by post-Enron standards, he'd be in jail. In addition to his maneuverings with Halliburton, Cheney is a convicted drunk driver. Need I mention Delay?

Why do Americans think this is acceptable?


Cher

[pokercat999]

2. My son

was arrested for selling less than an ounce of grass to a "friend" in a police setup. He was convicted and sentenced to five years, suspended with two years probation. That was 7 years ago when he was twenty. In our state he will NEVER be allowed to vote. He has trouble getting a nice apartment because of the felony conviction, and he will ALWAYS be a CONVICTED FELON.
This seems fair to me. Can anyone understand why I might hate america? But I don't, I just want the real America, founded by those WASP, slave holding, pigs, BACK.

I'm loading my new WMD, street sweeper and waiting for the civil war to start.

[fryguy]

3. just to clarify

but, according to your link and as a legal matter, it was the corporation not frist that was indicted and pled guilty to the charges. in the eyes of the law, a corporation is an entity unto itself. therefore its inccorect to say frist, for everything wround with him, pled guilty in that case....

delay's case is much different....

[pansypoo53219]

4. as if Friskie

didn't profit.
i say he is unworthy because of his killing cats ILLEGALLY.


WHERE'S PETA NOW???