A Tampa-based health insurer with a checkered past is preparing to bid on billions of dollars in state government contracts to serve Florida's poor and disabled.
And it stands a better-than-even chance of winning at least some of that business.
As Florida embarks on its plan to move 1.2 million Medicaid patients into private health plans, WellCare Health Plans of Tampa is widely expected to secure state contracts that will shift health care for the poor into managed care programs. The move is an early stage in the Medicaid reform approved by the Legislature in 2011, pending a green light from the federal government .
The decision for WellCare to bid, though not unexpected, has sparked an outcry from critics who wonder how badly a company must act before it's banned from government contracts — and from the right to serve the state's most vulnerable.
Remember when John McCain four years ago in Jacksonville said "the fundamentals of our economy are strong" after the collapse of Lehman Brothers? It was a snippet of a quote that defined his campaign, thanks to Barack Obama.
Now, amid rampant unemployment and poor economic news, President Obama said "the private sector is doing fine." And he's getting the same treatment he doled out on McCain.
Here's Republican Mitt Romney's latest web ad/prequel to a commercial:
And here's one from the vault -- Obama's ad whacking McCain over his comment
The Service Employees International Union is teaming up with the pro-Obama SuperPAC Priorities USA for a new $4-million TV and radio ad campaign in Florida, Colorado and Nevada through the summer.
“Mitt Romney shows his true colors and what his intentions are,” said healthcare worker and SEIU Local 1199 member Raphael Suarez from Kissimmee, Florida. “Mitt Romney only cares about corporations and their profits. I'm proud to voluntarily contribute to COPE, our PAC fund, to ensure that Romney's record on the economy, immigration and workers gets out to the community so Hispanics can make informed decisions about what's at stake for working families.”
"Our members want to make sure that people know the truth and are informed on the facts," said Monica Russo, SEIU Florida president. "Mitt Romney's own words show the facts about how he feels about our communities."
Here's the script in English: (text on screen) MITT ROMNEY IN HIS OWN WORDS. ROMNEY: You can focus on the very poor, that’s not my focus VOTER 1 FEMALE: What about us? He’s not thinking about us. VOTER 2 MALE: It’s easy for him to say that since he doesn’t have the same necessities as us. VOTER 1 FEMALE: He is… just thinking about those that have made money already. (text on screen) MITT ROMNEY MADE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS LEAVING THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WITHOUT WORK. ROMNEY: I’ll also tell my story: I’m also unemployed. VOTER 2 MALE: When you are really out of work… you are worried, you don’t want to laugh or make fun of anybody. VOTER 1 FEMALE: I feel that he should not be the person that leads this country. (voice over) SEIU COPE is responsible for the content of this advertisement. (text on screen) Mitt Romney: His words say it all. LEGAL DISCLAIMER: Paid by for SEIU COPE, SEIU.org, which is responsible for the content of this advertisement. Not authorized by any candidate or committee.
