Mike Fernandez

Miguel B. "Mike" Fernandez[1][2] is an American health care industry businessman, investor, and philanthropist. He is the founder of MBF Healthcare Partners, a private equity firm founded in 2005 in Coral Gables, Florida.[3][4] Fernandez is a major Republican donor.[5][6]

Early life and education

Fernandez was born in Manzanillo, Cuba, the elder of two children of Lieba Fernandez and Mario Antonio Fernandez. Fernandez has a younger sister, Pilar Giorgini (Pilar de los Angeles Fernandez). On Christmas Day, 1964, Fernandez and his family were escorted by the Cuban military out of their own house and told to leave Cuba. The Fernandez family landed in Mexico City, and lived in a convent temporarily and then with other Mexican families. After six months of living in Mexico, the Fernandez family received their U.S. visas and made their way to New York City. Fernandez received a scholarship to attend Xavier High School, an all-boys Jesuit high school in the heart of Manhattan. A proud man, Mario told his son "we do not take charity nor are you disabled. Get a job and we will split the tuition". On weeknights, Fernandez worked at the New York State Psychiatric Institute, part of Presbyterian Hospital, cleaning cages of animals that were used in experiments. On weekends, Fernandez worked at the American Museum of Natural History at the kiosk stand selling souvenirs. Fernandez attended the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque and subsequently enlisted in the Army.

Career

In 1975, after serving in the United States Army, Fernandez began his career in the insurance field.[7][8] After seeing an opportunity in packaging health insurance with life insurance policies, Fernandez began selling health insurance to existing clients. In 1981 Fernandez started Group Tech System, the first national database on health insurance quoting programs. Group tech became Comprehensive Benefit Administrators Inc. (CBAI) which was sold to Ramsay HMO. Ramsay HMO was the second-largest publicly held HMO in Florida during the early 1990s. Ramsay HMO was sold to United Healthcare in 1993, and at the time Fernandez was the second largest shareholder. In 1993, Fernandez started Physician's Healthcare Plans (PHP) based in Tampa FL. The company was sold to AmeriGroup in 2002. From 2002 to 2005 Fernandez started CarePlus Health. In 2005, he sold CarePlus Health Plans, a company he founded, to Humana,[9][10][11] and founded MBF Healthcare Partners, a private equity firm in Coral Gables.[12] His latest sale included Simply Healthcare Plans which was sold to Anthem in 2015.

He has been the Founder and/or majority shareholder of 25 healthcare related companies. Most of these companies have been acquired by publicly traded companies. Among these enterprises are Physicians Healthcare Plans, CAC Medical Centers, Prescribit Rx, CarePlus Health Plans, Navarro Pharmacies, Medical Specialties Distributors, Hospitalists of America, NutriForce and Simply Healthcare Plans. After every sale, Fernandez distributes a significant portion to the company's employees. He has done this over two dozen times. In addition, he has been an active investor in other healthcare companies.

Charity

At a very young age, Fernandez learned the value of "to take care of those who come after you". He completed a 508-mile walk from France and Spain multiple times, in order to raise funds for a variety of children's causes. Over the past 20 years, he has contributed in excess of $100 million to charitable causes.

Mike Fernandez is also the Founder and Chairman of the Immigration Partnership and Coalition Fund (IMPAC). Through the IMPAC Fund, he fundraises to expand currently existing legal services and programs to help undocumented immigrants fight unjust deportation procedures and grant them a path to citizenship.[13]

Politics

Political contributions

Fernandez is a Republican donor. In 2016, the New York Times wrote that Fernandez was "one of the most prolific donors in a key swing state" (Florida), contributing more than $4 million to Republicans in recent elections.[14] The Miami Herald has described Fernandez as "one of Florida's biggest conservative Republican moneymen."[15]

Fernandez was a major supporter of Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential campaign. Fernandez donated $1 million to Restore Our Future, a pro-Romney super PAC.[16]

In 2013, Fernandez donated $1 million to Florida Governor Rick Scott in his re-election campaign.[17] Fernandez was the chair of the finance committee for Scott's campaign.[16]

During the 2016 election cycle, Fernandez was a major supporter of Jeb Bush, who unsuccessfully sought the Republican presidential nomination. Fernandez donated $3.2 million to Bush and his "Right to Rise" super PAC, making him Bush's largest donor and (as of February 2016) the 16th largest donor of the 2016 presidential election.[18][19][20] He was ranked one of Newsmax's "50 Most Influential Latino Republicans" in 2016.[21]

Although a Republican, Fernandez is an opponent of Donald Trump, the 2016 Republican nominee.[14] During the Republican primaries, Fernandez funded newspaper ads comparing Trump to Hitler, Mussolini, and Perón.[15] Fernandez endorsed Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in the presidential election, saying that she is "a superior choice to Donald Trump."[22][23]

Political views and Cuba-U.S. relations

Fernandez has praised the Massachusetts health care reform enacted under Mitt Romney, but opposes the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.[16]

Although a Republican and opponent of President Obama, Fernandez (who was born in Cuba), supported Obama's decision to normalize relations with Cuba and lift the U.S. embargo against Cuba, a decision that Fernandez called "fifty years overdue."[19][24] Like other prominent Cuban Americans, shifted positions on U.S.-Cuban relations over time, receding from hard-line stance and moving toward a position in favor of rapprochement.[25] Fernandez wrote an op-ed published in the Miami Herald about his shift.[26] Fernandez was part of the historical visit by President Obama to Cuba in 2016; he was part of a group of U.S. business executives, including many Cuban Americans, who met with Cuban businesspeople.[27]

Fernandez is active with the Cuba Study Group.[28]

In July, 2017, Fernandez called President Trump an "abortion of a human being," adding, "If I was the doctor and knew what that baby would do, I'd have made sure it never would have seen the light of day."[29]

Personal life

Mike Fernandez is married to Constance Tolevich Fernandez and has 5 children, George, Alex, Michelle, Michael, and Cristofer. He also has two grand daughters named Stella and Daniella. In 2014, Fernandez released his autobiography, titled "Humbled by the Journey. Life Lessons for my Family… and Yours". The autobiography takes readers on parallel journeys: his 508-mile pilgrimage along El Camino de Santiago- and from a dirt-road Cuban town to the pinnacles of U.S. business success.[30] Fernandez also owns a 4,000-acre ranch in Gadsden County part of which is in Havana, Florida where he breeds Friesian horses and cattle stock.

References
  1. Shelly Davidov. "Entrepreneur Mike Fernandez on His First Book: "I Want To Be Remembered By What I've Given"". Miami New Times. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
  2. "Cuban exile, businessman, philanthropist & author: Miguel "Mike" Benito Fernandez joins us". Cincinnati. 31 March 2015. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
  3. "Top Jeb Bush Donor Plans Full-Page Ads Against Donald Trump". The New York Times. 4 December 2015. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
  4. Brian Bandell (8 August 2011). "Miguel Fernandez bets $3.3M on Mednax stock". South Florida Business Journal. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  5. "Billionaire Bush donor begins personal anti-Trump campaign". The Big Story (Associated Press). Retrieved 21 December 2015.
  6. "Top Jeb Bush political donor in Miami: I'll vote for Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump". Miami Herald. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
  7. "Billionaire Businessman Mike Fernandez "Humbled By The Journey"". Retrieved 7 December 2015.
  8. Mike Fernandez (9 January 2015). "Mike Fernandez: How to really succeed in business". South Florida Business Journal. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  9. "Miami Art Museum Receives $5 Million From MBF Healthcare Partners Chairman Mike Fernandez". Miami New Times. Retrieved 2015-12-07.
  10. "Simply Healthcare invests in Better Health PSO". South Florida Business Journal. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  11. "Humana Will Buy Careplus". tribunedigital-sunsentinel. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  12. "From Hmos To Investments". tribunedigital-sunsentinel. Retrieved 2015-12-07.
  13. "The Immigration Partnership & Coalition Fund". The Immigration Partnership & Coalition Fund. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
  14. Alexander Burns & Jonathan Martin, These Wealthy People Refuse to Give Donald Trump Money. Here’s Why, New York Times (May 21, 2016).
  15. Patricia Mazzei, Top Jeb Bush political donor in Miami: I'll vote for Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump, Miami Herald (December 4, 2015).
  16. Bandell, Brian (1 February 2012). "MBF Healthcare's Mike Fernandez gives $1M to Romney PAC". South Florida Business Journal. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
  17. Deslatte, Aaron (29 November 2013). "Can Charlie Crist compete in fundraising game?". Capitol View. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
  18. "Million-Dollar Donors in the 2016 Presidential Race". New York Times. February 9, 2016.
  19. Janell Ross (July 31, 2015). "Disagree with Jeb Bush? So does his largest donor". Washington Post.
  20. Beth Reinhard (July 29, 2015). "Jeb Bush Super PAC's Top Donor: Miguel "Mike" Fernandez". Wall Street Journal.
  21. John Blosser, Newsmax's 50 Most Influential Latino Republicans, Newsmax (February 24, 2016).
  22. Mazzei, Patricia (September 1, 2016). "Billionaire Miami Republican who backed Jeb Bush endorses Hillary Clinton". Miami Herald. Retrieved September 3, 2016.
  23. Aaron Blake, There are now dozens of big-name Republicans supporting Hillary Clinton for president, Washington Post (August 19, 2016).
  24. Marc A. Caputo, From penniless Cuban exile to billionaire GOP moneyman, Mike Fernandez says Obama's Cuba action 'long overdue', Miami Herald (December 18, 2014).
  25. José de Córdoba, How Foes of Warmer Relations With Cuba Slowly Came Around, Wall Street Journal (March 18, 2016).
  26. Mike Fernandez, I choose to help rebuild my old Cuba, Miami Herald (September 26, 2015).
  27. Mimi Whitefield, President Obama talks business with Cuban entrepreneurs, Miami Herald (March 21, 2016).
  28. "Unleashing Micro-Economic Reforms in Cuba: Investing in Cubans". Cuba Study Group. August 22, 2016.
  29. "GOP Donor Calls Trump an 'Abortion of a Human Being'". Political Wire. July 20, 2017.
  30. "Healthcare magnate's book offers advice for businesses, families". Retrieved 2016-06-30.
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