Fraud Scheme Using The Homeless
Federal authorities raided three medical centers in
Los Angelos and arrested a hospital CEO for fraud.
Authorities claim that men would walk up the down the neighborhoods where the homeless were known to be and shouting out “are you hooked up with the red, white, and blue?”. That is in reference to the Medi-Cal card that entitles you to government paid health care.
They told homeless people that they could make easy cash by coming to the hospital with them. Once there the homeless were looked at by doctors and stayed in the hospital for up to three days for conditions that did not require hospital stays. The medical centers would then bill the government for the hospitalizations and be reimbursed millions for unnecessary care.
Comments by the authorities were that it was a disgrace to use and abuse homeless people that way.
Are they nuts? First it was a crime of fraud what the medical centers did and they should certainly be punished.
Having said that, I ask again are they nuts? Let’s look at this from the homeless persons point of view.
You live on the streets, your meals come from soup kitchens or missions. You have no access to health care or even an address that would entitle you to receive government assistance. Someone comes up to you one day and takes you to a hospital where a doctor looks at you, treats your ailments, provides you with shower and bathroom facilities, a TV to watch, music to listen to, three hot square and nutritious meals plus a snack, and on top of all that they give you cash when you leave.
Now if that’s abuse, sign me up!