>> WELCOME BACK.
WE’VE TALKED QUITE A BIT ON THE
PROGRAM ABOUT THE PROPOSED
MERGER INVOLVING MOMENT HEALTH
SYSTEM.
ERIC STARKMAN HAS BEEN WRITING
ABOUT THE PROPOSED MERGER, BY
FAR THE MOST AGGRESSIVE AND
EAGER WRITER ON THIS TOPIC AND
SUDDENLY ON FRIDAY WE FIND THAT
MERGER TALKS HAD GONE FROM BEING
PUT ON HOLD TO COLLAPSING
ALTOGETHER.
AND ERIC STARKMAN JOINS ME NOW
TO TALK ABOUT THAT.
ERIC, I’M CURIOUS WHEN THE NEWS
BROKE ON FRIDAY THAT IT WAS OFF.
WHAT WERE YOUR FIRST THOUGHTS?
>> OH, THEY WERE ACTUALLY
BITTERSWEET.
THE MERGER MADE NO SENSE AND IT
WAS A BAD DEAL FOR SOUTHEASTERN
MICHIGAN, SOUTHEASTERN MICHIGAN
RESIDENTS, BUT THERE IS STILL A
MAJOR PROBLEM WITH BEAUMONT AND
THAT’S THE MANAGEMENT AND YOU
KNOW, UNTIL THAT MANAGEMENT IS
TURFED OUT AND THE CONTINGENT
THROUGH HEMORRHAGE AND LOSING
TALENT AND JUST HAVE, YOU KNOW,
REALLY BAD MORALE, A WORK FORCE
WITH A REALLY BAD MORALE.
>> DEVIN: GOSH, WE’VE SEEN SO
MANY WHAT AMOUNT TO VOTES OF NO
CONFIDENCE FROM THE EMPLOYEES
WHO HAVE BEEN AGAINST THIS
MERGER FROM THE START, BUT I
THINK ONE OF THE TIPPINGPOINTS,
YOU WERE ONE OF THE REPORTERS
WHO TALKED WITH CONGRESSMAN ANDY
LEVIN WHO MADE IT CLEAR HE WAS GOING TO DO WHATEVER HE COULD TO
GOING TO DO WHATEVER HE COULD TO
STOP THE MERGER AND HAD A COUPLE
ROYAL OAK AREA LAWMAKERS THAT
WERE WITH HIM ON THAT.
DID THAT COME INTO PLAY ON THEM
CALLING IT QUITS ON THIS?
>> I DON’T KNOW THIS FIRSTHAND,
BUT I GUESS IT DID.
WHEN YOU HAVE CONGRESSMEN--
AND HE WAS VERY CLEAR THAT HE WASN’T, YOU KNOW, JUST GIVING,
WASN’T, YOU KNOW, JUST GIVING,
SPEWING RHETORIC, HE SAID, I’M
DETERMINED TO STOP THIS DEAL.
IT’S NOT CLEAR TO ME WHAT
EXACTLY HE COULD DO.
>> YEAH.
>> BUT HE’S A PROMINENT CONGRESSMAN AND I DON’T THINK
CONGRESSMAN AND I DON’T THINK
THE BOARD WANTED TO STICK AROUND
AND FIND OUT EXACTLY WHAT HE
COULD DO.
>> I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS
THAT STRUCK A LOT OF PEOPLE, AND
IN A WAY, JOHN ON FLASH POINT
THIS SUMMER AND KIND OF ADMITTED
TO IT THAT IT DID NOT SEEM TO BE
A MARRIAGE OF EQUALS FOR
BEAUMONT TO HOOK UP WITH AURORA,
AND THAT THE HOSPITAL SYSTEM WAS
KIND OF MARRYING BENEATH IT.
WHY DIDN’T THAT SEEM TO BE AS
OBVIOUS TO THOSE THAT WERE
INVOLVED IN TRYING TO MAKE THIS
HAPPEN OR IS THE ANSWER TOO
OBVIOUS, THAT IT WAS JUST A
MONEY PLAY?
>> WELL, I THINK IT WAS A MONEY
PLAY AS FAR AS JOHN FOX IS
CONCERNED.
I MEAN, YOU KNOW, IF THE
HOSPITAL WAS SOLD, YOU KNOW, MY
GUESS IS, HE HAS CHANGE OF
CONTROL PROVISIONS IN HIS CONTRACT.
WE KNOW THAT THE FORMER CEO OF
OAKWOOD WAS GIVEN AT LEAST $9
MILLION AS A GOLDEN PARACHUTE
AFTER THIS, AFTER OAKWOOD MERGED
WITH BEAUMONT.
YOU KNOW, SO IT WAS LIKELY,
LUCRATIVE FOR JOHN FOX AND HIS
DEPUTIES, BUT THIS WAS A VERY
BAD DEAL.
IT WAS BASICALLY JUST GIVING
AWAY THE HOSPITAL TO ADVOCATE
AURORA.
AND THEY HAD VERY, VERY LITTLE
RISK.
>> WHAT DO YOU THINK THEN THAT
THIS ENTIRE EXPERIENCE AND
ODYSSEY, AND I DOUBT WE’RE GOING
TO SEE AN END TO MERGER TALK OF
THIS HOSPITAL SYSTEM OR ANY
OTHERS, FOR THAT MATTER.
WHAT DOES THIS TELL US ABOUT THE
STATE OF HEALTH CARE IN AMERICA
RIGHT NOW?
>> WELL, THE STATE OF HEALTH
CARE IN AMERICA IS PRETTY PATHETIC.
BUT YOU KNOW, AROUND THIS TIME
EVERYBODY WANTS TO BLAME, YOU
KNOW, A PRESIDENT, BUT IN FACT,
HOSPITALS ARE STATE-RUN, STATE
CONTROLLED, AND I HOPE YOU DON’T
MIND ME SAYING THIS ON YOUR
SHOW, BUT I THINK THE SILENCE OF GOVERNOR WHITMER AND ATTORNEY
GOVERNOR WHITMER AND ATTORNEY
GENERAL NESSEL AND RASHIDA TLAIB
AND DEBBIE DINGELL SPEAKS POORLY
OF THEIR REPRESENTATION OF THE
STATE.
>> DEVIN: OBVIOUSLY AS WE SAW
LAWMAKERS WEIGH IN THIS PAST
WEEK, YOU THINK THEY SHOULD HAVE
BEEN THERE EARLIER?
>> DEFINITELY.
LET ME GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE SO
YOU DON’T THINK I’M SPEWING MY OPINION.
IN OHIO, THE UNIVERSITY OF
TOLEDO PUT OUT A NOTICE THAT
THEY WERE GOING TO ASK--
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS TO SELL THEIR TEACHING HOSPITAL.
THEIR TEACHING HOSPITAL.
AND IT WASN’T EVEN A SALE, IT
WAS JUST REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS.
RIGHT OUT OF THE GATE MARCY
CAPTOR, THE LONGEST SERVING
WOMAN IN THE HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES.
>> DEVIN: YEAH.
>> ISSUED A STATEMENT RIGHT OUT
OF THE GATE SAYING, YOU DON’T
SELL A HOSPITAL IN THE MIDST OF
A PANDEMIC. AND THEN YOU HAD THE ATTORNEY
AND THEN YOU HAD THE ATTORNEY
GENERAL OF OHIO IMMEDIATELY
LEAKING TO THE PRESS I’M GOING
TO BE LOOKING AT THIS DEAL AND
HE HAD THE FORMER MAYOR OF
TOLEDO LEADING A MOVEMENT TO
STOP ANY POSSIBLE SALE OF THE
HOSPITAL.
MICHIGAN DID NOT HAVE THAT KIND.
>> DEVIN: INTERESTING THOUGHTS
ON IT.
IF YOU’RE INTERESTED IN MORE OF ERIC STARKMAN’S CONTRARIAN
ERIC STARKMAN’S CONTRARIAN
THOUGHTS WE’LL POINT YOU TO HIS
BLOG, STARKMAN APPROVED.COM. I APPRECIATE YOUR THOUGHTS ON
I APPRECIATE YOUR THOUGHTS ON
THE TOPIC AND TIME TODAY.
MEET THE PRESS IS NEXT, SEE YOU
NEXT TIME FOR FLASH POINT.