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Seems this current administration is finally going after all the freeloaders who have been sucking the life out of our social safety net.

The Scooter Store has been defrauding Medicare and Medicaid for years with their promise of getting a scooter "at no cost to ME "

Well, the Obama admin is finally cleaning their plow, $100 M so far,.

 

http://news.yahoo.com/fbi-decl...141419--finance.html

 

And some people complain about people buying a Snickers bar with their food stamps -

 

 

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“Attempting to debate with a person who has abandoned reason is like giving medicine to the dead.”
― Thomas Paine

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About time. He's only been promising to do something about fraud and waste for years, even before his first term. It'll be interesting to see if this is a real effort and not just for "show". How about going after the lawyers that "fight" for people to get SS "disability" benefits after they've been turned down. Plenty of areas to go after, so again, let's hope this is a real effort. Guess they'll just have to roll granny to the edge of the grand canyon in a wheelchair.

Good for the gummint!  It is about time this fraud got exposed!  I grit my teeth every time those Scooter Store commercials come on with their promise to handle the red tape  and get one of their products at "no cost to you." Now the gummint has exposed their corrupt,  shabby and deceitful methods.  I can't find a date for the article you posted, but this government investigation has been ongoing for several years.  Here is a 2005 clip that gives some of the details.

http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2...620/124sidebar2.html

 

The Obama administration is continuing to make it hard on these kinds of fraudsters:

http://www.theatlanticwire.com...edicare-fraud/51833/

Last edited by upsidedehead
Best, you should probably be more informed before you post such false statements as the one above. The President has been on top of this since his first year in office.
Ninety-one people including doctors, nurses and other medical professionals were charged criminally after an investigation of Medicare fraud that involved $430 million in false billing in seven cities, officials said on Thursday.

    It was the government’s second big raid in recent months after a similar investigation in May involving $452 million in possible fraud in Medicare, the health program for the elderly and disabled.

    The accusations include billing the government for unnecessary ambulance rides in California, writing prescriptions for patients in Dallas who did not qualify for them and paying kickbacks like food and cigarettes to patients in Houston if they attended programs for which a hospital could bill.

    The investigation is part of an effort by the Obama administration to find health care savings.

http://www.nytimes.com/...

 

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President’s Budget Make Fraud Fighting a Top Priority Funds Programs That Will Result in Billions in Savings Over 10 Years

The Obama Administration has zero tolerance for fraud and abuse in Medicare, Medicaid and CHIP.  Building on the work accomplished through HEAT, the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team established by Attorney General Eric Holder and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius in 2009, the President’s FY 2011 Budget includes historic support for anti-fraud efforts.

New funds are requested for programs that have a proven record of preventing fraud, reduce payment errors and returning funds to the Trust Funds. Some highlights from the President’s Budget include: 

Smart Investments to Fight Fraud and Save Taxpayers Billions

The President’s Budget requests $1.7 billion for fraud fighting at the Department of Health and Human Services,  $561 million of which  in Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control (HCFAC) discretionary funding, an increase of $250 million over the FY 2010 enacted level.  These investments will take money out of criminals’ pockets and return it to the Trust Funds where it belongs. Estimates indicate that these investments will generate $9.9 billion in savings from increased recoveries and prevention efforts.  In addition, the Budget proposes legislative and administrative changes that will save$14.7 billion in Medicare and Medicaid over ten years.

Expanding Strike Forces

Since their inception Strike Force Teams, which are made up of local, state and federal law enforcement, agents from the FBI and the HHS Inspector General, and CMS anti-fraud experts have obtained indictments of more than 500 individuals and organizations that collectively have falsely billed the Medicare program for more than one billion dollars. Strike Force Teams initially began in Miami and Los Angeles and in 2009, new Strike Force Teams began work in Detroit, Houston, Brooklyn, Baton Rouge and Tampa. The President’s Budget will provide funds to expand and build upon this proven approach.

Better Data Sharing

The President’s Budget will support investments in cutting-edge technology and techniques that allow for the analysis of potential fraud with unprecedented speed. Improving data-sharing will allow investigators to obtain snapshots of fraudulent claims activity in real-time. Previously, obtaining this data and identifying potentially fraudulent activities took months or years.

Strengthening Oversight and Stepping Up Efforts to Prevent Fraud

A series of proposals supported in the President’s Budget will increase oversight, improve data analysis and help ensure only legitimate providers participate in the Medicare program.

http://www.stopmedicarefraud.g...fraud_factsheet.html

 

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"What the Affordable Care Act does and what CMS, I think, is doing now is really a shift of focus of the 'pay and chase' mentality," said Saccoccio. "[That's] where the fraud is committed, you've paid the money, now you have to go out and get it back and prosecute the individual."

 

Burns says the Obama administration's approach to fighting fraud has been more systematic than previous ones. Indeed, the number of so-called Medicare Strike Force teams operating around the country has quadrupled since 2009. Still, the mantra of the fraud fighters sounds a lot like a department store sale: The more you spend, the more you save.

 

"What we need to do is fund a war on fraud like we would fund a single day of a real war," Burns said. "If we do that, this country will straighten out real quick."

 

http://www.npr.org/blogs/healt...fighters-new-weapons

Originally Posted by seeweed:
Originally Posted by Bestworking:

Go after the government's scam of reverse mortgages while you're at it.

I agree on this.

Ole Fred Thompson screwed us while he was a senator, now he's advocating for the screwing of the elderly by advertising for this scam.

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Better have a talk with that big old liberal obama supporter henry winkler. He's the only one I ever see pushing reverse mortgages.

Originally Posted by MonkeysUncleByMarriage:

Best, you truly do live a sheltered detached existence.    I see the Fred Thompson commercial for reverse mortgages at least 10 times a month if not more.   It is aired frequently.

I'd say it's you that's sheltered, detached and in denial IF you claim you don't see winkler's commercials way more.

Best, using your old tricks of, this guy does it so its ok if this guy does it, just doesn't cut it.  I never said winkler didn't do it, nor did I say it was ok for anyone to do it.   One large difference between Winkler and Thompson.   Thompson is a former Senator, someone who worked as a public servant in the one of the highest position in public sector who undoubtedly should have a better understanding of this. 

I am saying your "Henry Winkler is the only one I have seen do it" is malarky.   And I am also saying Henry Winkler, being a democrat (assuming he is), is still worlds apart from a former Senator doing this.   I know you know the difference or I hope you do.   Either you don't know and you're simply ignorant, or you know and you're being intellectually dishonest.

I had forgot that Winkler has done some of those adds, I just never see him doing them. Thompson on the other hand, seems to be on like MU said, 10 times a night.

I have no idea what the political leaning of Fonzi is, and if it weren't for the fact that he was a Republican senator, I wouldn't know about Thompson, but I do remember when he was senator a few of the things he wanted to do, like privatize Social Security (read that turn it over to Wall Street, and cancel the debt of the treasury notes in the SS fund), he voted against a bill which would have done away with affirmative action in selection of government contracts (I have personally seen the problem with that),he dosen't believe that global warming is man made (along with most of the big oil owned people in his party, and he supported the "war" in Iraq.He supported hate groups war on gays, and supported the Defense of Marriage act. Worse yet, he voted "guilty" on the cluster f**k that was the impeachment of Clinton.

However, on other things he seemed to be pretty middle of the road, like on social issues.

The grade I would give him is a C at best. At least he is no McConald, and he was certainly no teabagger, and that has to be something in his favor.

And , again, like I said, I have no knowledge of whether Fonzi was a Democrat, Republican, Independent, or Cumquat, and have even less idea of what political things he supports or not.

Originally Posted by seeweed:

I had forgot that Winkler has done some of those adds, I just never see him doing them. Thompson on the other hand, seems to be on like MU said, 10 times a night.

I have no idea what the political leaning of Fonzi is, and if it weren't for the fact that he was a Republican senator, I wouldn't know about Thompson, but I do remember when he was senator a few of the things he wanted to do, like privatize Social Security (read that turn it over to Wall Street, and cancel the debt of the treasury notes in the SS fund), he voted against a bill which would have done away with affirmative action in selection of government contracts (I have personally seen the problem with that),he dosen't believe that global warming is man made (along with most of the big oil owned people in his party, and he supported the "war" in Iraq.He supported hate groups war on gays, and supported the Defense of Marriage act. Worse yet, he voted "guilty" on the cluster f**k that was the impeachment of Clinton.

However, on other things he seemed to be pretty middle of the road, like on social issues.

The grade I would give him is a C at best. At least he is no McConald, and he was certainly no teabagger, and that has to be something in his favor.

And , again, like I said, I have no knowledge of whether Fonzi was a Democrat, Republican, Independent, or Cumquat, and have even less idea of what political things he supports or not.

Privatizing social security means giving people control of THEIR money. How they chose to invest it is up to them. 

Since we are on the subject of waste - how about those 'free government phones'?  This from an article from early last year:

 

Lifeline is coming under attack after a recent discovery by the Wall Street Journal, which found that up to 41 percent of the 6 million participants, could not or did not prove they were eligible to receive government provided phones.


Read more: http://www.myfoxaustin.com/sto...rogram#ixzz2Lg47wupb


And my favorite issue - this is not a 'tax', it's just a government mandated  'cross subsidy' that people pay for in their phone bills to make phones available to those that cant afford it.  Walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, you know......

Originally Posted by Capt James T:

Since we are on the subject of waste - how about those 'free government phones'?  This from an article from early last year:

 

Lifeline is coming under attack after a recent discovery by the Wall Street Journal, which found that up to 41 percent of the 6 million participants, could not or did not prove they were eligible to receive government provided phones.


Read more: http://www.myfoxaustin.com/sto...rogram#ixzz2Lg47wupb


And my favorite issue - this is not a 'tax', it's just a government mandated  'cross subsidy' that people pay for in their phone bills to make phones available to those that cant afford it.  Walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, you know......

That is a great example of govt waste. However, in fairness to Barack that program has been around for a while if I'm not mistaken.

You will find that, it many cases, my complaints against our politicians are party neutral   I was under the impression this was a thread against government waste, not for or against Obama.  As upside posted, this was in the works in some form before Obama was in office.  Scooter Store is just the latest target.

 

But I forgot, all the threads on this forum end up somehow for or against Obama.  And I say that to BOTH sides on this forum......

Originally Posted by Kenny Powers:
Originally Posted by Capt James T:

Since we are on the subject of waste - how about those 'free government phones'?  This from an article from early last year:

 

Lifeline is coming under attack after a recent discovery by the Wall Street Journal, which found that up to 41 percent of the 6 million participants, could not or did not prove they were eligible to receive government provided phones.


Read more: http://www.myfoxaustin.com/sto...rogram#ixzz2Lg47wupb


And my favorite issue - this is not a 'tax', it's just a government mandated  'cross subsidy' that people pay for in their phone bills to make phones available to those that cant afford it.  Walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, you know......

That is a great example of govt waste. However, in fairness to Barack that program has been around for a while if I'm not mistaken.

===============

You are correct, Reagan started the "llifeline" service originaly on land lines, and Bush 2 expanded it for cell phones.

While it probably does offer a very easy way to game the system, in reality, the original concept is not all that bad. Originaly it gave poor people a very limited phone service so they could obtain emergency help, and maybe make a few phone calls to get a job.

The cell phone thing is just an expansion of that concept, and the phones are provided by the service provider - not the phone charges we all see on our phones, and a limited number of minutes/month.

It is probably virtually impossible to get any kind of job nowdays without some form of communication.

My issue is that is was designed for landlines for low income basic services only (local and inbound calls) and they are still in play today.  Any cell phone can be used for emergency (911) calls at any time, home phones are the same way (if the line is run to your house, which most are).

 

WAY too many times I've seen someone get one of these phones and give it to their kids just because they could (and already had their own regular cell phone).  It doesnt help that the 'public service announcements' go on and on about how easy they are to get.

 

They are similar to the prepaid phones you can buy at walmart.  Folks use the subsidized phones until their minutes or up, then go back to their prepaids (to save the minutes they pay for themselves).  Cell phone companies love them because, unlike prepaids, they get the minutes renewed every month regardless courtesy of you and I......  

Originally Posted by Capt James T:

My issue is that is was designed for landlines for low income basic services only (local and inbound calls) and they are still in play today.  Any cell phone can be used for emergency (911) calls at any time, home phones are the same way (if the line is run to your house, which most are).

 

WAY too many times I've seen someone get one of these phones and give it to their kids just because they could (and already had their own regular cell phone).  It doesnt help that the 'public service announcements' go on and on about how easy they are to get.

 

They are similar to the prepaid phones you can buy at walmart.  Folks use the subsidized phones until their minutes or up, then go back to their prepaids (to save the minutes they pay for themselves).  Cell phone companies love them because, unlike prepaids, they get the minutes renewed every month regardless courtesy of you and I......  

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I agree there is a lot of fraud, but I would much rather our country concern itself with the millions of dollars given to oil companies, than with a $10 phone minutes card. I would rather see the feds go after the people , like the one in this article, for defrauding Medicare out of millions of dollars per year, than try to catch someone "giving their gummit phone to their kids" , I would rather change the law to allow the buying power of Medicare to negotiate drug prices with the manufactures than to worry about whether somebody bought a snickers bar on their food stamps card.

We have real fraud going on with large companies who own certain senators and representatives, and here you are picking fly chet outta pepper.

Originally Posted by Capt James T:

My issue is that is was designed for landlines for low income basic services only (local and inbound calls) and they are still in play today.  Any cell phone can be used for emergency (911) calls at any time, home phones are the same way (if the line is run to your house, which most are).

 

WAY too many times I've seen someone get one of these phones and give it to their kids just because they could (and already had their own regular cell phone).  It doesnt help that the 'public service announcements' go on and on about how easy they are to get.

 

They are similar to the prepaid phones you can buy at walmart.  Folks use the subsidized phones until their minutes or up, then go back to their prepaids (to save the minutes they pay for themselves).  Cell phone companies love them because, unlike prepaids, they get the minutes renewed every month regardless courtesy of you and I......  

______________________________________________________

Why in the world is the government giving people cell phones anyway? That’s not the role of the government.

Read the page explaining the free phones and you'll find they're not real picky about who can get one, it is not just for a while, they can have them for life. Find out too, who's getting richer off of selling them to the government.  Public housing, you have generations of families living in them. How is that fair to other people who need help and aren't getting it? How is that fair to taxpayers? How is that "helping" anyone? Bring it up and the buzzards swoop in to tell you how you hate the poor, the elderly, the children etc. As far as making things political-every time reverse mortgages is mentioned they drag up fred thompson. I tried to discuss it before and it was upside/contendah that jumped in talking about fred. Try it again and another one drags up his name. So of course I had to point out that the one I SEE pushing it is the very liberal winkler. For some strange reason they never see him, and I am somehow "out of touch" because he is the very one I always see in the commercials. That's why I'm not real excited about this "scooter store" deal. If they are finally going to address fraud and waste let's see if they go after the big boys, including their own wasteful and full of fraud programs.

Best, once again you miss the big picture.   The point is not that Winkler is a big democrat (I am assuming he is because you keep ranting about it.   I really don't give two shi**s about him.) or that Fred Thompson is a republican.   The point is, Fred was a Senator.   He should have an extreme familiarity with these types of programs and what they do to people.   He should, as a former high ranking public servant, have the best interest of his former constituents at hand.

 

And I do believe you were the one who pointed out that reverse mortgages were a "government scam" and implied that Obama should go after them.   It makes it all the more worrisome that you see an extension of the Government, a former Senator, pushing for them.

Well Jobe, the discussion and extension of the program to include cell phones occurred during his presidency.  And as I can see from all the Republicans on here, a President is much like a quarterback in football.  When things are good they get too much of the credit, when things are bad they get too much of the blame.

Originally Posted by seeweed:
 

I agree there is a lot of fraud, but I would much rather our country concern itself with the millions of dollars given to oil companies, than with a $10 phone minutes card. I would rather see the feds go after the people , like the one in this article, for defrauding Medicare out of millions of dollars per year, than try to catch someone "giving their gummit phone to their kids" , I would rather change the law to allow the buying power of Medicare to negotiate drug prices with the manufactures than to worry about whether somebody bought a snickers bar on their food stamps card.

We have real fraud going on with large companies who own certain senators and representatives, and here you are picking fly chet outta pepper.

41% of 6 million participants -> 2.46 million * $10 per month -> $24.6 million *12 months -> $295.2 million wasted in fraud per year on this program (assuming the 41% is a valid number).

 

seems to be a lot more than a $10 phone card.......

Originally Posted by Capt James T:
Originally Posted by seeweed:
 

I agree there is a lot of fraud, but I would much rather our country concern itself with the millions of dollars given to oil companies, than with a $10 phone minutes card. I would rather see the feds go after the people , like the one in this article, for defrauding Medicare out of millions of dollars per year, than try to catch someone "giving their gummit phone to their kids" , I would rather change the law to allow the buying power of Medicare to negotiate drug prices with the manufactures than to worry about whether somebody bought a snickers bar on their food stamps card.

We have real fraud going on with large companies who own certain senators and representatives, and here you are picking fly chet outta pepper.

41% of 6 million participants -> 2.46 million * $10 per month -> $24.6 million *12 months -> $295.2 million wasted in fraud per year on this program (assuming the 41% is a valid number).

 

seems to be a lot more than a $10 phone card.......

==========

Well, I guess it is easier to catch one corp defrauding $100M than a whole bunch of people gigging $10 each.

BTW, I have never said I was in favor of this emergency phone service, and for sure, I am against misuse of any public funds by anybody.I did say that I can see how it would be helpful for old and poor people who needed emergency service, and for people out of work to be able to have some kind of communication to try to obtain a job.

I do, however, have doubts that there is 41% fraud rate in that program, if you define fraud as someone obtaining the service who does not meet the criteria, I actually would suspect something les than 10%, but that's just me.

As for my take, I would like to see that whole program just done away with in it's entirety, but maybe a more sensible thing would be to have a less open criteria, but alas ! there's a bunch who want to get rid of government people, and that leaves no one to regulate the program.

On the other hand., someone above mentioned that they were ok with it being landline service, and I just want to know, what is the difference.

Originally Posted by Capt James T:
Originally Posted by seeweed:
 

I agree there is a lot of fraud, but I would much rather our country concern itself with the millions of dollars given to oil companies, than with a $10 phone minutes card. I would rather see the feds go after the people , like the one in this article, for defrauding Medicare out of millions of dollars per year, than try to catch someone "giving their gummit phone to their kids" , I would rather change the law to allow the buying power of Medicare to negotiate drug prices with the manufactures than to worry about whether somebody bought a snickers bar on their food stamps card.

We have real fraud going on with large companies who own certain senators and representatives, and here you are picking fly chet outta pepper.

41% of 6 million participants -> 2.46 million * $10 per month -> $24.6 million *12 months -> $295.2 million wasted in fraud per year on this program (assuming the 41% is a valid number).

 

seems to be a lot more than a $10 phone card.......

____________________________

 

$8 billion in oil subsidies per year... how's that for some perspective... and i doubt the validity of the 41% fraud rate.

Oil subsidies, farm subsidies, the list is long and it is that long because of the way our election system is built more than anything - government waste is not party specific as some of you would like to believe......

 

Some people just complain when its the 'other' party doing it.  The republicans give it to companies according to some democrats, the democrats give it to lazy folks according to some republicans.  Either way, its my (and your) money they are giving away to both.  I dont like either.  

 

We can keep saying that the little candy bars and the cell phones are little items that dont add up to much, but im willing to bet that a higher percentage of the billions given to oil companies 'trickled down' than what 'trickled up' from the waste on candy bars and cellphones.  Just sayin'.......

 

Also, for the record, billions spent on oil companies isnt fraud last time i checked (although i agree it probably should be.)   Apples to apples my friends.......

Originally Posted by seeweed:
Originally Posted by Capt James T:
 

On the other hand., someone above mentioned that they were ok with it being landline service, and I just want to know, what is the difference.

I said landline is different because it is tied to an address and harder to resell or abuse.  Hard to have two or three landlines in a house with two or three single people living in it, but all three can use false addresses and get a cell phone (the rule is supposed to be one phone per residence i believe.)  I highly doubt they even used false addresses, with the lack of oversight.

 

I think this is the biggest issue with the 'fraud' they found, more than one phone per residence.  I highly doubt its as low as 10%, thats what they expected to find when they found 41%.  

Last edited by Capt James T
Originally Posted by Crash.Override:

worry about a such a small portion of a program that probably does some good, and ignore the bigger picture.. yep, you're making GREAT sense!

==========

I have come to the conclusion from observation of post on this forum, that most of the people ranting about these "programs" are probably somewhat jealous that somebody is getting something that they are not. (and probably that the person getting that thing is black)

Like I said before, we have huge gouging of our country, from the medical industry (read upsidedownhead's "Must Read" post and then read the article , or at least watch the interview), the military industrial complex making tanks at millions of dollars each that the Army does not want, in fact they say they will mothball them and put them in the desert, hugely expensive aircraft that the Air Force does not want or need, and ships the Navy does not want either.

WE have the oil companies essentially stealing oil from us in the country by not paying royalities for oil on public land amounting to billions of dollars.

(here is Ed Markey trying to get our money but it was shot down by Republicans -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRRrjNUVQqw     )

So , yea, you worry about some guy wearing his pants below his azz getting $10 worth of minutes, but it seems to me , like I said before, it's pickin' fly chet outta pepper, but you can actually point to somebody getting something you are not getting and get pizzed off about it.

You guys might be interested in this factcheck.org report on the subject. As they point out, the program is not a tax at all.

 

http://www.factcheck.org/2012/...ry-cell-phone-claim/

 

It also is not a program to give away free phones.The only thing that has been changed with this program since Obama became president is that they have actually addressed many issues within the program to cut down on fraud. Seems to me they are moving in the right direction. I agree with others here that say we have bigger fish to fry than this little program that helps low income families find jobs, stay in touch with family and have access to emergency help.

 

Here is an interesting thought.   I know that people say this program could be cut, and that cell phones aren't necessities.  And while there is definitely validity to that, I wonder if we could possibly see statistics and see how many crimes in progress were called in by people using government cell phones or by how many calls were made for emergency help with government cell phones.   Would shed a little more light on how valuable they are to society as a whole.

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