Medicaid

January 15, 2008 -- Washington, D.C. – A report released today found that Governor Blunt’s proposal to provide health coverage to uninsured Missourians would fail to restore coverage to many of those who lost it after the dramatic Medicaid cuts in 2005 and would cover too few of the 700,000 uninsured Missourians who desperately need coverage.    » read more »

January 15, 2008 -- Washington, DC -- Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) released the following statement in advance of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Health Subcommittee hearing on “Medicaid's Critical Role for Americans with Disabilities.” The hearing will be held on Wednesday, January 16, 2008.

“There remain severe shortcomings in our country’s efforts to break down the barriers that exclude people with disabilities and deprive them of true equality of opportunity and independence.    » read more »

January 8, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, DC— Today, Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, released the following statement in response to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services report on the rising cost of health care.    » read more »

January 07, 2008 -- BOSTON – Today, Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley’s Office announced a record of $26.7 million recovered in settlements and judgments for Medicaid fraud cases in 2007. The sum represents the largest amount of Medicaid dollars recovered by the Attorney General’s Office, surpassing all years since the creation of the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Division, which was previously known as the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, in 1978.    » read more »

Minnesota man accused of defrauding his father out of more than $144,000

December 20, 2007 -- TALLAHASSEE, FL – Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum today announced that his Medicaid Fraud Control Unit arrested a Boynton Beach man on charges stemming from a Minnesota elder exploitation case. George Spires, Jr. was wanted on a Minnesota felony warrant for allegedly defrauding his elderly father out of more than $144,000. The arrest was made by the Florida Medicaid Fraud Control Unit after receiving a request for assistance from the Minnesota State Attorney General’s Office.    » read more »

December 19, 2007 -- TRENTON - New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram and Criminal Justice Director Gregory A. Paw announced today that three North Jersey residents and a Newark home health care agency were charged in a state grand jury indictment with fraudulently billing the Medicaid program nearly $1 million for services that were never rendered or were ineligible for Medicaid reimbursement.

According to Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Greta Gooden Brown, the state grand jury indictment handed up late yesterday charges:    » read more »

December 18, 2007 -- Olympia - The Washington Attorney General’s Office announced today the sentencing of care givers in Spokane and Lincoln counties. The care givers pled guilty to charges of Medicaid fraud in separate and unrelated cases.

In September, the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit charged Ellen M. Spease with one count of theft in the first degree, three counts of health care false claim (as Medicaid False Statements) and three counts of forgery. She pled guilty to the charges and was sentenced on December 17 in Spokane County.    » read more »

December 18, 2007 (ALBUQUERQUE) -- New Mexico Attorney General Gary King’s Medicaid Fraud and Elder Abuse Division is prosecuting formerAlbuquerque business owner Israel Keppel on two counts of Medicaid fraud.

A Bernalillo County grand jury returned a two count indictment against Keppel last week based on alleged Submission of False Claims to the Medicaid Program in early 2005.

Each count is a fourth degree felony, punishable by 18 months imprisonment and/or a $5,000.00 fine.    » read more »

NC recovers $20 million, wins 16 criminal convictions in 2007 Medicaid fraud cases

December 17, 2007 -- Raleigh: North Carolina’s Medicaid fraud investigators recovered more than $20 million and investigated dozens of cases of fraud and patient abuse in 2007, North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper said today.

“Medicaid cheaters drive up health costs and keep needy patients from getting care,” said Cooper. “We’ll continue our crackdown on fraud and abuse to protect patients and save taxpayers’ money."    » read more »

December 13, 2007 -- TALLAHASSEE, FL - Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum today announced the arrest of a Miami-Dade physician for defrauding Florida’s Medicaid program out of more than $65,000. Dr. Jose Joaquin Rodriguez, a Miami pediatrician, was arrested by law enforcement investigators with the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit in Miami and will be charged with organized theft and grand fraud.    » read more »

Urges Action to Ease Burden on States Providing Family Planning Coverage Through Medicaid

December 12, 2007 -- Washington, DC - Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton urged Congressional leaders to relieve administrative burdens on states trying to provide low income women with affordable family planning services by giving states the option to renew or expand those services under Medicaid without a cumbersome and unnecessary renewal process.    » read more »

Christian Onwuegbusi stole more than $900,000 from Medicare program

December 6, 2007 -- HOUSTON – A Houston durable medical equipment provider was sentenced to 15 years in state prison Wednesday for stealing more than $900,000 from the Medicare program. Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigated the case, along with the FBI and Office of Inspector General of the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC-OIG). The Harris County District Attorney’s Office handled the prosecution.    » read more »

Corporation Also Enters Into Settlement Agreement and Will Pay $400,000 to the Commonwealth

December 05, 2007 -- BOSTON – Yesterday, a local dental corporation pled guilty to charges that it fraudulently billed MassHealth, the state’s Medicaid program, for dental services that were never rendered. Joseph Y. Ng, D.M.D., P.C., a dental office in Chinatown, pled guilty to a charge of Medicaid False Claims. Boston Municipal Court Judge Michael Coyne sentenced the corporation of Joseph Y. Ng, D.M.D., P.C. to a term of probation for five years.    » read more »

November 30, 2007 -- Jefferson City, Mo. — Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon has recovered more than $125,000 for the Medicaid program through a settlement with drug manufacturer Medicis. The agreement with Nixon, other state Attorneys General and the U.S. Department of Justice resolves their concerns that Medicis improperly engaged in off-label marketing of the topical drug Loprox.    » read more »

Company Received More Than $4,000,000 for Services Never Rendered

BALTIMORE, MD (November 19, 2007) - Maryland Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler announced today that Guy Anthony Bell, 44, of the 2700 block of Tallow Tree Road in Woodstock, was sentenced to 27 months in jail for his role in billing the Medicaid program for more than $4,000,000 for services that were never performed. Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Albert J. Matriccani, Jr. sentenced Bell to four years in jail with all but 27 months suspended, and five years probation after his release from prison.    » read more »