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Money fuels Florida bill, newspaper says
Ophthalmology counters there is money on both sides of the issue.
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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — An April 3 report in The Miami Herald says that more than just concerns over quality of care are fueling comanagement legislation in the Florida State Legislature. Money has had a substantial effect on the progress of the bill through committees, the article states.
A representative of Florida ophthalmologists countered, however, that as the bill nears consideration by the full legislative bodies, there is substantial money from optometry at work here as well.
According to the Herald article, Alan Mendelsohn, MD, a Broward County ophthalmologist and a Republican, is a principal lobbyist on behalf of the Florida Medical Association (FMA) for the bills currently being considered in both houses.
The article claims Dr. Mendelsohn raised money last year for pro-doctor candidates, and is now back seeking support for legislation from the same people he helped elect. On April 3, the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee was the third panel in 3 weeks to approve one of the bills.
Active for a decade
Dr. Mendelsohn has been active in Florida state politics since 1990, when he was ethics chairman of the Florida Society of Ophthalmologists, the article says. He is now president-elect of the Broward County Medical Association and treasurer of FLAMPAC, the FMA’s political action committee.
The article states that Dr. Mendelsohn’s current role as an advocate for the Florida Medical Association comes after the costliest legislative campaign season in state history. Medical money was more crucial than ever in 2000 as so many seats were open because of term limits. Much of the money bought ads aimed at defeating candidates the FMA opposed.
In the article, State Sen. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Weston, a patient of Dr. Mendelsohn’s and a Democrat, is quoted as saying that he raised thousands of dollars for her, and he is the principal reason the FMA was able to act as a political entity.
The Herald article stated that Dr. Mendelsohn, his wife and children gave more than $12,000 to political campaigns during the 2000 election. But beyond that, he reportedly spent many hours soliciting contributions from colleagues for People for a Better Florida.
Donations to People for a Better Florida, which The Herald article said is a shadow pro-doctor group, were spent on issue advertisements.
The article reports that People for a Better Florida operated from a St. Augustine post office box and used the “soft money” loophole that allows unlimited and undisclosed expenditures on issue advocacy ads as long as the ads do not promote a specific candidate. The report says there is no record of how much money the group spent.
Close to power
The article also states that Dr. Mendelsohn has become close to several powerful legislative leaders. Guests at a Sept. 6 event hosted by Dr. Mendelsohn included Florida House Speaker Tom Feeney, House Majority Leader Mike Fasano and Rep. Johnnie Byrd, in line to be speaker in 2002.
The article stated that Speaker Feeney calls Dr. Mendelsohn a “dear friend” and Majority Leader Fasano, his top deputy, collected $60,000 at a fundraiser at Dr. Mendelsohn’s house last month for his 2002 race for a state Senate seat. Both men said Dr. Mendelsohn has received no special treatment.
During committee testimony, the article states, Dr. Mendelsohn told lawmakers stories of ophthalmologists from other states who fly to Florida, remove cataracts and perform other surgeries, then go home and effectively dump patients, who have no optometrists, on emergency rooms.
Money issues on both sides
Ocular Surgery News contacted Dr. Mendelsohn in response to the Herald article. While he declined to comment, he referred us to Steve Hull, executive director of the Florida Society of Ophthalmology.
“The (Herald) article reflected the fact that medical doctors have been getting involved in the political process and issues to protect patient care,” said Mr. Hull. “We’re proud of the work the FMA has done and Dr. Mendelsohn is a big part of the FMA gaining strength in fund raising efforts and getting representatives elected that care about patient’s right.”
At press time the Senate bill had been placed on the Senate calendar for vote. The House bill must still pass through two committees before it is placed before the full chamber. This session of the Florid Legislature will end in early May.
Mr. Hull explained that the Senate and House bills would likely not be easy fight.
The difficulty for the bill has arisen in the last few weeks as, according to Mr. Hull, organized optometry has brought in lobbyists paid for by some corporate laser vision correction entities and some high-volume surgeons.
“There are now close to 100 lobbyists working on this bill. A lot of entities will be affected if this bill is passed. It’s now a very visible bill. Optometrists are going crazy trying to fight it,” Mr. Hull said.
Regardless of the efforts of organized optometry, Mr. Hull is still confident the bill will pass.
For Your Information:
- The Miami Herald article can be viewed in its entirety by going to http://www.miami.com/herald/content/news/local/florida/digdocs/043891.htm.
- Steve Hull can be reached at (850) 224-7555; e-mail: shull@sunshinenetwork.com.