Rick Scott knows what he can get away with.

Recently, Mr. Scott bought ads for his group "Conservatives for Patients' Rights" on CNN and FOX News networks. The ads were created by the same firm behind the now discredited "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth" ads from the 2004 presidential campaign.

Rick Scott's anti-health care reform ad is chock-full of misinformation. SEIU has requested that the ads be pulled based on the following:

• Rick Scott misleads viewers about the Federal Coordinating Council , claiming: "not only could a government board deny your choice in doctors, but it can control life and death for some patients." This statement is demonstrably false.
• The advertisement further deceives viewers by blatantly misrepresenting the positions of two physicians. (Our full request is available here.)

These lies break CNN and Fox News' own policies protecting viewers from false advertising. But the television networks are doing nothing.

Watch the video, then tell FOX News and CNN to stop airing this ad: http://action.seiu.org/tellFoxNews

CNN's lawyers are giving CPR five business days to respond. During this time, they will continue running CPR's ad. The 60-second ad runs until May 7th, which means that if CPR fails to defend the gross misstatements and distortions in their ad, they only stand to lose one day of airtime.

CNN claims this is "standard" policy for advertising disputes. If that's the case, no wonder CPR chose to run their misleading advertisement on their network. (Meanwhile, FOX News has not responded to our request.)

We welcome thoughtful discussion and disagreement on health care reform - what we will not tolerate are lies and distortions meant to scare the American public.

Join SEIU in calling on FOX News and CNN to adhere to their own policies and immediately cease running CPR's distortions: http://action.seiu.org/tellFoxNews

Thanks for speaking out.

Yesterday, SEIU sent letters to FOX News and CNN requesting they pull a grossly misleading ad by Rick Scott's "Conservatives for Patients Rights." The ads, which contain false statements and misleading quotes from doctors, were produced by the same PR firm that created the now-widely discredited "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth" ads against Sen. John Kerry in 2004.

Below are the reasons we are asking for this ad to be taken down:

• Rick Scott, the narrator featured in the advertisement, misleads viewers about the Federal Coordinating Council for Comparative Effectiveness Research, a newly-created entity by the economic recovery package signed into law by President Obama in February. Mr. Scott makes a specific claim: "not only could a government board deny your choice in doctors, but it can control life and death for some patients." This statement is demonstrably false. In reality, the powers of this so-called "government board" are clearly defined and cannot do what Mr. Scott claims. The statutory authority of the Council specifically excludes the power "to mandate coverage, reimbursement, or other policies for any public or private payer." It is worth noting that even under President Bush, the National Institute of Health already had an annual budget of $355 million to conduct precisely this type of research. Plainly, this has not led to the sort of catastrophic consequences in America that Mr. Scott warns against.


• The advertisement further deceives viewers by blatantly misrepresenting the positions of two physicians. While the advertisement paints both as opponents of any role for government in health care reform, in reality, just the opposite is true. Both physicians are in fact supporters of universal health care. What they are opposed to is the U.S. 'two-tiered' system that already rations health care based on the ability to pay. In fact, Mr. Scott misrepresented Dr. Day's comments, and Dr. Day openly mocked the ineffectiveness of the U.S. health care system. What Dr. Day is opposed to is Canada's outdated funding model, not Canada's healthcare system. Dr. Day actually advocates reform of the funding structure to preserve Canada's healthcare system, not dismantle it.

Update:

CNN has provided a disappointing response to our request. According to their lawyer, they are giving CPR five business days to respond. During this time, they will continue running CPR's ad. The 60-second ad runs until May 7th, which means that if CPR fails to defend the gross misstatements and distortions in their ad, they only stand to lose one day of airtime.

CNN claims this is "standard" policy for advertising disputes. If that's the case, no wonder CPR chose to run their misleading advertisement on their network.

Download our entire letter to CNN and FOX News.

Join the chorus of viewers calling for CNN and FOX News to adhere to their own truth-in-advertising policies and remove this ad: http://action.seiu.org/page/s/TellFoxNews