Ahh, our great for-profit health care system: 3 SoCal hospitals accused of using homeless for fraud

[marmar]

from the LA Times:




3 Southern California hospitals accused of using homeless for fraud

By Cara Mia DiMassa, Richard Winton and Rich Connell, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers
August 7, 2008


On a Sunday afternoon two years ago, five homeless people being dropped off on Los Angeles' skid row by an ambulance caught the attention of police officers.

The officers videotaped what they thought was a case of hospitals dumping patients in a section of the city where few would notice or care.

But as investigators began to unravel the incident, they say they found something far different: a massive scheme to defraud taxpayer-funded healthcare programs of millions of dollars by recruiting homeless patients for unnecessary medical services.

The elaborate enterprise churned thousands of indigents through hospitals over the last four years and billed Medicare and Medi-Cal for costly and unjustified medical procedures, federal, state and local investigators said Wednesday.

Those involved in the alleged conspiracy "ranged from street-level operatives to the chief executive of a hospital," U.S. Atty. Thomas P. O'Brien said. ......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-me-skidrow7-2008aug07,0,5921372.story

[marmar]

1. Kick for universal single-payer!!!

:kick:

[Sanctified]

2. Would universal prevent this?

I am all for universal single-payer but I don't think it would prevent the actions of hospitals from trying to make a buck at the tax payers expense. I work with a certain group of health care professionals and I know for fact that they will run every test Insurance or Medicaid will pay for even if they know the patient does not need it.

[SoCalDem]

3. No INSURANCE..no Medicaid..

Each person has their own personal ID card, and to access care they use that card..

Visa & Mastercard can surely keep track of "purchases"..maybe they could be "hired' to run the medical system:evilgrin:

If someone seems to be "abusing" the system, their card could be blocked until an investigation could be done..

Hospitals & clinics would be NON-profit.. the MOTIVE to cheat would be gone..