TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida Gov. Rick Scott is launching a new television ad to blunt criticism over his health care record as he campaigns for the U.S. Senate.

The Republican entered politics after running one of the nation's largest for-profit health care companies, Columbia/HCA, amid a federal probe that led to a record Medicare fraud settlement.

But in the ad, Scott recounts how his family struggled to get health care when he was growing up. He says he supports "forcing insurance companies to cover pre-existing conditions" because of his own experiences.

Scott has consistently opposed the health care expansion known as "Obamacare," and Florida is suing to overturn federal protections for consumers with pre-existing conditions. Scott says Attorney General Pam Bondi sued without his input, but he hasn't asked her to drop it.