Category Archives: Medicare

Medicare’s Private Eyes Let Fraud Cases Get Cold

Written On August 10, 2010 By Bob Kraft

The government is doing a poor job of policing the Medicare system for fraud. According to an article in the Houston Chronicle, Medicare investigators routinely take months before referring fraud cases to law enforcement, and in that length of time the cases can go cold — with records destroyed, witnesses lost, etc. Taxpayers are getting [...]

Posted in Government, Medicare, Uncategorized

94 Arrested in Medicare Scams Totaling $251 Million

Written On July 20, 2010 By Bob Kraft

Almost 100 people were arrested last week for defrauding Medicare. I’m sure this is just a drop in the bucket of Medicare scams across the country. Everyone knows that Medicare poses perhaps the greatest risk to our country’s fiscal survival, and if we could root out more of these crooks it would certainly help our [...]

Posted in Government, Medicare

Texas Doctors Opting Out of Medicare at Alarming Rate

Written On May 24, 2010 By Bob Kraft

“Texas doctors are opting out of Medicare at alarming rates, frustrated by reimbursement cuts they say make participation in government-funded care of seniors unaffordable.” That’s the lead of an article in the Houston Chronicle a few days ago. This is a real problem not only for Texas senior citizens, but also for younger people on [...]

Posted in Medicare

Texas Hospital Settles Medicare Fraud Allegations

Written On January 7, 2010 By Bob Kraft

The Fort Worth (TX) Star-Telegram reported, “Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital will pay the federal government just shy of $1 million to settle allegations that it submitted improper claims to Medicare for interpretation of blood tests that in reality didn’t need analysis, the US attorney’s office announced.” The attorney’s office said that “the former president of [...]

Posted in Medicare

NTSB Ties Medicare Payments To Medical Helicopter Safety

Written On September 3, 2009 By Bob Kraft

As reported by the Washington Post, the National Transportation Safety Board has adopted new safety recommendations covering medical helicopters. This addresses a serious safety issue mentioned before on this blog here, here, and here. Excerpts from the article:
The most sweeping change was a proposal that Medicare, the nation’s largest insurer, pay only for flights conducted [...]

Posted in Medical Malpractice, Medicare

Trial Lawyers Say Medicare Slowing Lien Settlements

Written On July 13, 2009 By Bob Kraft

McClatchy Newspapers reported on personal injury lawyers who “represent Medicare beneficiaries who’ve been in accidents. Medicare has paid their hospital costs, which must be reimbursed once the victim reaches a damage settlement with the party at fault.” But lawyers “said that Medicare can be extremely slow to tell them what its share of the settlement [...]

Posted in Medicare, Practice Tips

Some Physicians Opting Out of Medicare Due to Low Reimbursements and Paperwork

Written On April 2, 2009 By Bob Kraft

The New York Times reports, "Some doctors — often internists but also gastroenterologists, gynecologists, psychiatrists and other specialists — are no longer accepting Medicare, either because they have opted out of the insurance system or they are not accepting new patients with Medicare coverage." These physicians argue "reimbursement rates are too low and paperwork too [...]

Posted in Medicare

Houston Hospital Agrees to $10 Million Settlement of Medicare Fraud Allegations

Written On March 27, 2009 By Bob Kraft

The AP reports that, according to a statement from the Justice Department Thursday, "One of Houston's most prestigious hospitals has agreed to pay nearly $10 million to settle allegations it defrauded the federal Medicare program." Under the agreement, the Methodist Hospital in Houston will pay $9.9 million "so it can continue focusing on its clinical [...]

Posted in Medicare

Seven New York Hospitals Face Suit Over $50 Million Medicare Fraud

Written On January 6, 2009 By Bob Kraft

The AP (1/6, Bauman) reports, "Four hospitals in New York state paid kickbacks to get more patients into their drug treatment programs, which billed Medicaid for services that weren't standard or necessary and lacked state certification, lawsuits allege" and "another hospital paid people to search homeless shelters and other places for patients to enter a [...]

Posted in Government, Medicare

If I’m Found Disabled, How Long Until I Get Medicare?

Written On December 31, 2008 By Bob Kraft

Our Social Security disability clients are usually dismayed when they learn they must wait two years after being found to be disabled before they can qualify for Medicare health benefits. This is a terribly unfair aspect of Social Security disability, and is explained well in an online article by AP News.
The article explores the ramifications [...]

Posted in Disability, Government, Medicare, Social Security Disability

Danger Ahead For The Social Security System

Written On March 25, 2008 By Bob Kraft

According to a CNN story today, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson is warning about the same dangers I mentioned in a January post on this blog — we’re about to run out of money for Social Security and Medicare. Here are excerpts from the article:
Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, saying that Social Security is
"financially unsustainable," called Tuesday [...]

Posted in Medicare, Political and/or Judicial, Social Security, Social Security Disability

Link of the Day – Older Texans Hit By High-Pressure Medicare Insurance Tactics

Written On December 15, 2007 By Bob Kraft

The Dallas Morning News ran an article earlier this month about Medicare insurance sales people pressuring senior citizens to buy policies they don’t want or need. Here are excerpts from the story:
The annual enrollment period for private Medicare plans has brought out overly aggressive and deceptive sales agents again, so consumer advocates and insurance regulators [...]

Posted in Consumer Information, Link of the Day, Medicare

Link of the Day – Benefits Checkup Site

Written On July 8, 2007 By Bob Kraft

The National Council on Aging has a helpful site called Benefits Checkup that lets people search or sign up for for more than 250 different types of medical and retirement benefits. Here is a description from the site:
About BenefitsCheckUp
Many older people need help paying for prescription drugs, health care, utilities and other basic needs. Ironically, [...]

Posted in Link of the Day, Medical and Health Resources, Medicare, Social Security, Social Security Disability

Link of the Day – Medicare And You Handbook — 2007 Edition

Written On January 3, 2007 By Bob Kraft

The government has released the 2007 edition of "Medicare and You." This is an Adobe Acrobat document, and you will need the free Adobe Reader to view it.

Posted in Link of the Day, Medicare

Change Proposed In Physician Reimbursement Under Medicare

Written On July 26, 2006 By Bob Kraft

A note at ModernHealthcare.com mentions the continual problem with Medicare reimbursement to doctors. Under the current system, reimbursements should be cut by about 5% each year. Of course if the government actually did that, no doctors would see Medicare patients. So Congress has to "fudge" the law each year. Here’s the note from the Web [...]

Posted in Government, Medicare, Political and/or Judicial