In numerous emails, CTCA officials said they anticipated their FreedomWorks donations would produce tangible benefits for the company. For example, they hoped that FreedomWorks would help CTCA hone its online marketing and outreach skills. (CTCA is a privately held chain of hospitals that treats advanced-stage cancer patients. It reaches new customers largely via TV commercials and digital advertising.) As Shawn Stephenson put it in 2010, "I know there will be benefits that all of CTCA will gain through the work that Freedomworks is pursuing. ""I know there will be benefits that all of CTCA will gain through the work that Freedomworks is pursuing."
Some of the work "Freedomworks is pursuing" is
catering to the oil industry. So, yes a cancer center will definitely benefit financially from the "work that Freedomworks is pursuing"
According to the Federal Election Commission this may be illegal:
Prohibited Contributions
The Act prohibits certain contributions made in connection with or for the purpose of influencing federal elections. The prohibitions listed below apply to contributions received and made by political committees. Note that the prohibitions apply to all contributions, regardless of:
What type of contribution it is (gift of money, in-kind contribution, loan and so on);
Whether it is solicited; and
How it is ultimately used (such as for advertising, office supplies or independent expenditures13).
So how hard did Freedomworks try to influence federal elections in 2014? Over a million bucks worth so far:
Grand Total Spent on 2014 Federal Elections: $1,456,288
So we can thank Cancer Treatment Centers of America for that obscenity upon the political landscape Joe Walsh.
But who are CTCA?
Their commercial is after the Fleur-de-Kos
Hope is always an easy sell to those that presume they are doomed.
But the hope they are selling has a steep price.
Cancer Treatment Centers of America CTCA are exemplary of the class divide this country faces. If one has means and is struck by this condition then CTCA is there to cater to you.
But if you are poor. Well. Why don't you try bootstrapping your way out of cancer?
You don't expect a handout from a company that donates to tea baggers do you?
Target Market
As a for-profit hospital network, CTCA selectively decides for whom they will provide care. The organization employs a team of communications degreed ‘Oncology Information Specialists’ well-trained to efficiently age the economic viability of a prospective client CTCA only accepts select insurance policies meeting their internal reimbursement requirements.
HMOs and Medicare* are not accepted. The indigent and uninsured are not served.
CTCA does offer prospective patients without approved policies the opportunity to pay cash—typically large sums—in advance of treatment. Given low Medicare and other commercial payer reimbursements, these policies help ensure profitability and set CTCA apart from most large cancer centers.
*CTCA only accepts Medicare for in-state patients at its Newnan, GA location
Fuzzy Math Patient Outcomes Reported
Compared to other institutions, CTCA has been particularly effective at leveraging its impressive patient survival outcomes. But according to a Reuter’s exposé, it appears that CTCA’s self-reported survival statistics were comprised of skewed, self-selected datasets.
Since they do not accept Medicare and Medicaid patients, CTCA serves a younger median age demographic. I believe this alone contributes to their stated higher survival rates. Furthermore, CTCA’s survivorship data may conceivably be superior compared to national averages due in great part to their integrative health clinical and educational services, especially those around behavioral change, i.e., diet, stress reduction and exercise. Considering the attention generated by the Reuters expose, it will be interesting and telling to see if CTCA chooses to make audited survivorship data available in the future.
For a right wing website the CTCA has an impressive well developed detailed website. I recognize the work but from where is something I'm probably going to have to stumble upon.
http://www.cancercenter.com/...
Mother jones:
In 2011, a Gateway for Cancer Research employee asked FreedomWorks vice president Adam Brandon to review a detailed plan for building grassroots support online and in the field for Gateway. The email arrived at 10 a.m. on a weekday. Brandon promptly wrote back with a page-long response that began, "I would always clear the decks to help." (Brandon did not respond to a request for comment.)
Internal CTCA budget documents from 2012 shed more light on the company's donations to FreedomWorks. A July 2012 budget document obtained by Mother Jones says CTCA gave $3 million to FreedomWorks during the 2012 fiscal year for "promotions," which the company included under the "Advertising" category.
Richard Stephenson's influence extended to FreedomWorks' political work. According to one former FreedomWorks staffer, Stephenson pushed the group to support Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.) in 2012. Walsh was a tea party firebrand known for his controversial comments about Democrats, President Obama, and black people. "The only reason we got involved with Joe Walsh in Illinois was because Dick Stephenson wanted to help him," the staffer says. (Walsh lost by 9 points.) Walsh says he assumed FreedomWorks "supported me because of [my] voting record."