AHA Hits Panic Button After 60 Minutes Fall-Out

AHA Hits Panic Button After 60 Minutes Fall-Out

Embattled Trade Association Dispatches Letter to CBS; Attacks Leader of Hispanic Advocacy Group

LOS ANGELES, March 7 /PRNewswire/ -- 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?"

email Audrey@advocacyink.com for a copy of the AHA letter to CBS

Source: Consejo de Latinos Unidos

CONTACT: Audrey Mullen, +1-703-548-1160, for Consejo de Latinos Unidos

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