« Rick Scott's Hypocrisy On The VA And His Refusal To Expand Medicaid | Main | Rick Scott's "Not A Scientist?" He's Also Not Florida's CEO, And Shouldn't Be A Shareholder »
Rick Scott's VA Hypocrisy Reaches Astounding Heights
Rick Scott and the Republican Party's blatant hypocrisy in the VA situation continues at an accelerated pace highlighting their main interest in veterans: To be used as political pawns, nothing more.
The Republican Party (most of which have never served) never hesitate to "Support the Troops" by sending them to battle no matter what the reason, nor the cost. Those same Republicans then ignore the troops forevermore after the fact.
Veterans deserve the utmost care for the sacrifice they make for the rest of us, but sadly, we have a long history of letting them down when they need us the most, and it's hardly a new phenomena as the GOP would seemingly, and laughably, have you believe. They count on short memories and think we're stupid. Case in point: Karl Rove is feigning outrage and running ads off the VA as I write. Yes, Karl Rove.
Not to be left out in his sudden interest in veterans is Florida's own Rick Scott, a man whose only interests in veterans until now was cutting their benefits, denying them the right to vote, and firing his first Lt. Governor when she was caught up in a veterans charity scandal. Highlighting the "she got caught" part.
Then there's his crowning achievement: Denying veterans who would qualify for Medicaid access to the care they need. Yes, many veterans fall into the "Scott gap" between the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid, which Scott and his fellow hypocrites refuse to expand.
Yet the problems at the VA have managed to do what no one else could do before: Get the Republican Party to admit that people actually do need health care, that access to health care is in fact a good thing.
Yesterday Scott placed himself front and center in the GOP effort to make political hay with veterans who, up until now, he had no interest in. After all these years in office, he waited until he kicked off his reelection campaign to decide that VA hospitals in Florida needed attention, and in April, he began sending "inspectors" to facilities in what seems to amount to little more than making a very public, headline grabbing fuss. Then he followed up yesterday with a made for lazy reporting announcement.
Sadly, many media outlets in Florida predictably ran with it.
Scott fired off this press release to anyone and everyone:
Today, Governor Rick Scott announced plans to file a lawsuit establishing the state's Agency for Health Care Administration's (AHCA) authority to inspect federal VA hospitals in Florida, and to stop the federal veterans affairs agency from obstructing state actions.
Governor Scott said, "As the chief health policy and planning entity for the state that licenses, inspects, and investigates consumer complaints, AHCA should be allowed access to federal VA hospitals to inspect their processes and their facilities. On seven separate occasions at six federal VA hospitals, however, state inspectors have been blocked by federal officials from carrying out their mission of ensuring facilities in Florida meet the healthcare needs of our veterans. I have asked AHCA to sue the federal veterans affairs agency to shine a light on their activities and protect the lives of our heroes who have earned nothing short of access to the best care possible."
The complaint will be filed in federal court against U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki to establish AHCA's right to inspect and regulate health facilities in Florida. The suit will stop the federal government from obstructing AHCA's inspections of these facilities.
Governor Scott said, "With 1.5 million veterans that call Florida home, we're committed to being the most veteran-friendly state in the nation – and reports of deaths, neglect, poor conditions and a secret waiting list in federal VA hospitals in Florida are unacceptable. To date, Sec. Shinseki has refused to step down, our inspectors continue to be turned away, and none of the information we've asked for has been provided. Transparency and accountability are critical to supporting our veterans, and this suit will fight the federal VA's continued practice of stonewalling our inspectors."
News outlets all over the state rushed to report that Scott was "suing" the Veterans Administration, just as he so conveniently laid out in press release form.
But here's the point. Planning to sue and actually suing are two very different things.
In the days before real journalism died, newspapers never gave the plaintiffs help pushing their cause before they actually filed a lawsuit. Few today seem to care about that distinction. So headlines everywhere made Scott look like he's doing something, just as he apparently intended. Seize the current public outrage, spin the perception he's doing something about it, write it up and fire it off to reporters eager for click-bait and a sensational headline:
Scott Sues Feds For Denying Access To VA Hospitals!
Newsflash: Scott hasn't sued anybody, and though he's a fan of filing a lawsuit no matter how ridiculous it may be, I'm not going to hold my breath waiting for him to actually do so. I'm guessing he won't. He got the free publicity he sought, because that's so much easier than actually doing something for veterans, or anyone else, for that matter.
Credit where it's due to the Orlando Sentinel for pointing out what many suspected, that this is more political grandstanding than anything else:
The VA disputes that there has been any stonewalling. Mary Kay Hollingsworth, regional communications director for the VA, said her agency has made numerous attempts to explain to Florida officials that they have no authority over the VA.
Hollingsworth added that she isn't aware of Florida officials ever trying to inspect a VA hospital before the recent attempts.
Some say Scott appears to be trying to make political hay, not law, from the latest scandal to rock the VA.
Stetson University College of Law Associate Dean Michael Allen directs the Veterans Law Institute there and also teaches constitutional law. He said the governor's actions suggest a political motive, because the only way state inspectors could have jurisdiction at federal hospitals is if Congress authorizes it, and he does not know of any time that has happened.
Scott's efforts might be the first step of a campaign to persuade Congress to allow state inspections, he said, because he doesn't appear to have much chance to win in court.
"Unless there is some [obscure] hook they can point to in federal law that provides for this, this is not a difficult legal question," Allen said.
If Scott actually follows up on his threat to take legal action, it will be just another in a long line of costly lawsuits that have little connections to reality. This is the man who, so far, has spent nearly $400k to drug test welfare recipeints and state workers and been denied that intrusion in court over and over again, and he's still pursuing it.
There's no question that something needs to be done, that changes need to be made at VA hospitals. But again, this is nothing new. Republicans and some Democrats are rushing to demand that VA Secretary Eric Shinseki resign.
But then what?
It's the "then what" that politicians have a problem with. They're great at calling for heads to roll, but that too often is where it ends.
Rick Scott's Hypocrisy On The VA And His Refusal To Expand Medicaid
Rick Scott Wants Sick, Poor And Uninsured Floridians To Stay That Way, Refuses To Implement "Obamacare"
Posted by Martha Jackovics on 05/29/2014 at 01:50 PM in Affordable Care Act, Barack Obama, Drug Testing, Election 2014, Media, Medicaid, Rick Scott, Veterans | Permalink
Tags: Election 2014, Health Care, Media, Medicaid, Rick Scott, Veterans, Veterans Administration