Sen. Bill Frist Expected To Be Elected Majority Leader After Former Republican Leader Trent Lott Resigns

Sen. Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), a physician by training, on Dec. 23 is expected to be approved as Senate Majority Leader in a vote by Senate Republicans, replacing outgoing Republican Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.), who resigned on Dec. 20, the Washington Times reports. Lott's resignation came after he faced criticism for comments he made at a Dec. 5 birthday party for retiring Sen. Strom Thurmond (R-S.C.). Lott said he was proud that his state had voted for Thurmond for president in 1948, when Thurmond ran under the segregationist "Dixiecrat" party. "If the rest of the country had followed our lead, we wouldn't have had all these problems over the years," Lott said. The Times reports that the controversy over Lott's comments "became too much of a burden" for Senate Republicans and the Bush Administration and forced Lott to resign (Dinan, Washington Times, 12/21). The Baltimore Sun reports that "it was clear" on Dec. 20 that Frist had the support of more than half of the Senate's 51 Republicans, making the special election by conference call scheduled for today "a mere formality" (Hirschfeld Davis, Baltimore Sun, 12/21). Frist has already received public commitments from at least 32 Republican senators in the 108th Congress (Casimir, New York Daily News, 12/22). According to the New York Times, in his eight years as a senator, Frist has "tended to specialize in health issues, including Medicare." Frist has had a conservative voting record but has been known to act as a "legislative broker and deal maker" on issues like stem cell research, AIDS research and patients' rights legislation (Toner, New York Times, 12/22). When not addressing his duties as a senator, Frist often volunteers his services as a physician to public housing residents in Washington, D.C., or travels to Africa to work with people suffering from malnutrition or other medical conditions, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. "He's very willing to give of himself. He's passionate about the human condition. He's passionate about people suffering. He's passionate about the AIDS issue," Ken Isaacs, director of international projects for Samaritan's Purse, a religious group that sets up Frist's trips to Africa, said (Hutcheson, Philadelphia Inquirer, 12/21).

HCA Connections
Frist has faced criticism for his ties to the beleaguered hospital chain HCA, which his father and brother founded and helped run, the Washington Post reports. According to the Post, Frist has reaped a "multi-million dollar fortune" from his personal investments in HCA (Von Drehle, Washington Post, 12/21). Frist is the ninth-richest Senator, with a personal wealth of approximately $20 million (Chen/McManus, Los Angeles Times, 12/21). However, Frist has never played a role in running the nation's largest chain of for-profit hospitals. According to the Post, that distance "probably saved his political life." HCA officials last week announced the company had come to terms with the federal government on a $631 million settlement for Medicare fraud claims, bringing the total payments made to the government by HCA for fraud to $1.7 billion. Frist does face some criticism for his investment in HCA. "With the health system in crisis, Republicans are considering a Senate majority leader who made his millions from a family-run company that defrauded Medicare, overstated expense statements, billed for services for reimbursements and paid kickbacks to physicians to encourage referrals to HCA facilities," a spokesperson for Physicians for a National Health Care Program, a group that has "clashed" with Frist on health care issues, said (Washington Post, 12/21). The Los Angeles Times reports that Frist's investments in HCA "could prove politically nettlesome" in the future, as he comes under increased scrutiny as majority leader (Los Angeles Times, 12/21).

Eli Lilly Connections
Frist has also faced criticism for his ties to drug maker Eli Lilly, after the company revealed that it helped boost sales of Frist's recent best-selling book on bioterrorism. Eli Lilly representatives purchased 5,000 copies of the book and distributed it to 13 cities as part of an educational program to assist physicians in dealing with bioterrorism. Frist and his staff deny any knowledge of the sale. However, the Washington Post reports that Frist's "close ties" with Lilly were further questioned after a proposal written by Frist was "quietly woven" into the Homeland Security bill, since enacted into law; the provision restricts the ability of people to sue Lilly for injuries related to Thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative used in vaccines against childhood diseases (Washington Post, 12/21).

Frist on AIDS
Frist has faced criticism from some AIDS advocates for not "fighting for more funding" to combat the disease (Los Angeles Times, 12/21). Frist was "chastised" recently by several Senate Democrats for failing to guarantee $500 million in funding he has said is needed to fight AIDS in Africa. The Bush administration initially promised the $500 million, but eventually cut all of the funds in a larger fight over spending, the Washington Post reports (Washington Post, 12/21). However, Frist has received support of the Global Health Council for his work in fighting AIDS worldwide. "As a physician, humanitarian and soon-to-be Republican leader of the Senate, Senator Bill Frist can play a critical role in helping Congress to understand and take action on the wide and complex range of global health issues, particularly the global AIDS pandemic. ... He understands the role the U.S. government needs to adopt if we are to stop the ravages of AIDS. As a leader of the Senate, his voice will be heard around the globe," Nils Daulaire, CEO of the Global Health Council, said (Global Health Council release, 12/20). In addition, AIDS Healthcare Foundation President Michael Weinstein said, "Sen. Frist's leadership has mobilized his party and the Senate in addressing the global AIDS crisis. ... As majority leader, he can quickly move legislation he has authored that finally brings life-saving treatment to the world's poor" (AIDS Healthcare Foundation release, 12/22).

Additional Coverage
The following broadcast programs reported on Frist's background and connections in the health care industry:

• NPR's "All Things Considered": The segment includes comments from Healthcare Leadership Council President Mary Grealy, Federation of American Hospitals President Chip Kahn and Rich Tarplin, chair of the board of the lobbying firm Timmons & Company (Rovner, "All Things Considered," NPR, 12/20). The full segment is available online in RealPlayer.
  
• NPR's "Weekend Edition Saturday": The segment includes comments from Sen. Pete Domenici (R-N.M.) (Naylor, "Weekend Edition Saturday," NPR, 12/21). The full segment is available online in RealPlayer.
  
• PRI's "Marketplace": The segment discusses Frist's connection to HCA with Larry Nobel of the Center for Responsive Politics (Henn, "Marketplace," PRI, 12/20). A transcript of the segment is available online. In addition, the full segment is available online in RealPlayer.