Rick Scott

Rick Scott is the man who oversaw the largest Medicare fraud in American history, then used the proceeds to buy the governorship and a Senate seat — and now shapes healthcare policy in the United States Senate. The audacity of this trajectory reveals more about American politics than any campaign finance statistic. Born in Bloomington, Illinois, Scott grew up poor — his adoptive father was a truck driver, his mother worked at JCPenney. He served briefly in the Navy, attended law school, and entered the healthcare business. Scott co-founded Columbia Hospital Corporation in 1987, which merged with HCA to become Columbia/HCA — the nation's largest for-profit hospital chain. Under his leadership, the company engaged in systematic Medicare and Medicaid fraud: overbilling the government, filing false cost reports, and paying kickbacks to physicians. In 1997, federal agents raided Columbia/HCA offices, and Scott was forced to resign. The company ultimately paid $1.7 billion in fines — the largest healthcare fraud settlement in history. Scott was never personally charged, though he invoked the Fifth Amendment 75 times during depositions. He walked away with $300 million in stock and a $10 million severance package. He then used that money to buy political power. He spent $75 million of his own money to win the Florida governorship in 2010 and another $64 million on his Senate race in 2018. In office, he has pushed to cut the very Medicare and Medicaid programs his company defrauded. As NRSC chair in 2022, he proposed an "11-point plan" that would sunset all federal legislation after 5 years, including Social Security and Medicare — a plan so politically toxic that Mitch McConnell publicly disavowed it. His stock portfolio is staggering: 25 trades worth $5-25 million in 2024 alone, many in healthcare and defense companies while sitting on relevant committees. He is one of the wealthiest members of Congress at $300 million, and his financial disclosures read like a healthcare industry index fund. The man who ran the company that committed the largest Medicare fraud now votes on Medicare policy while trading healthcare stocks. Scott's key relationships are primarily financial. He is largely self-funded, which gives him independence from traditional donor networks but also means he answers to no one except his own financial interests. Healthcare industry donors give $5 million (naturally), and defense and finance round out his base. His 2022 NRSC chairmanship was disastrous — Republicans lost the Senate, and Scott was accused of mismanaging $10 million in committee funds.