Is Bill Frist Fit to Govern Tennessee?

New Report from Tennessee Registered Nurses Highlights Frist’s Poor Record on Healthcare Issues, Lack of Commitment to Tennessee Patients

Report Released Thursday at 11:00 a.m.
 
As former Senate Leader Bill Frist eyes a run for the Tennessee Governorship in 2010, a new report by NNOC Tennessee—the state’s affiliate of the National Nurses Organizing Committee—finds that his record on healthcare issues disqualifies him from leading the Volunteer State.

The RNs, along with other healthcare activists, will release the report this Thursday outside the HCA headquarters, and will then travel to California for a second release timed to coincide with Frist’s speech at a June 19th convention of health insurance corporations.  

WHAT:     Tennessee Nurses and Healthcare Advocates Unveil New Report:
               “Is Bill Frist Fit to be Governor?”
WHEN:     Thursday, June 12, 11:00 a.m.
WHERE:   Centennial Park, opposite HCA headquarters, 
                 One Park Plaza, Nashville

Despite his background as a physician, Frist’s years in elected office have only served to worsen the healthcare tragedy that is afflicting Tennessee families.  Key elements of his healthcare record include:

Failure as Senate Majority Leader to secure more money for Tennessee to reduce the TennCare cuts that denied coverage to 200,000 state residents. 
Massive fundraising from healthcare corporations, healthcare PAC’s, and executives at HMO, pharmaceutical, and insurance firms.  It is no coincidence that Frist has supported numerous proposals to protect these donors, including unsuccessful efforts “to protect drug companies from thimerosal-related litigation while eliminating legal recourse for families of vaccine-injured, mercury-toxic children” and to limit patient rights to sue healthcare corporations, as well as a successful effort to limit enrollment in Medicare part D. 
A political career jump-started by funds from HCA, the family-owned Hospital Corporation of America, known for cutting corners on patient care.
Refusal to propose healthcare reform legislation, and refusal to support the kind of “Medicare for all,” or single-payer healthcare system, that is succeeding in every other industrialized democracy and that out-performs the American system in terms of both cost and quality.

“As Tennessee nurses, we are concerned with anything that impacts the health of our patients, and this report makes clear that Bill Frist is a danger to Tennessee patients.  His time in the Senate made our state and our nation less healthy.  As the healthcare crisis deepens, Tennessee cannot afford to elect someone who is unfit to be our Governor,” said Kathy McGregor, RN, a leader with NNOC Tennessee.

Nurses will be joined in unveiling the release by Tennessee healthcare activists like Debby Hester, an advocate with Healthcare Now, who said, “Tennessee deserves to be governed by someone committed to improving our public health. Healthcare advocates in Tennessee join others in closely scrutinizing the background and voting record of former Tennessee Senator Bill First. We want improvement, not more of the same.”