In the unlikely event they make a movie of my life story a good place for the opening scene would be the post office in Albuquerque where my Mother used to take me as a child.
Scene one, act one, would be me making a bee-line to the bulletin board displaying the FBI’s 10 most wanted list. The future crime writer transfixed.
“So that’s what a murderer looks like,” I always thought to myself, leaning in to the grainy black and white photos. I would peer deep into the eyes of the fugitive bank robber or kidnapper to try to find a clue as to what made these men turn so bad. (Back then, the list was all men) I admit it – I was a strange child.
Today, another fugitive list has caught my attention. Its complied by the Office of the Inspector General at Health and Human Services and it highlights those involved with one of the fastest growing crime sectors in America: Health care fraud. As our population ages and government programs literally pour money into elder care this type fraud has become a multi-million dollar a year problem. Looking at the O.I.G. web site brings back memories of my post office visits. The site has photos (in color!) of the 10 Most Wanted health care fugitives. Two are women. And because this is the digital age there is a videotaped message from the Deputy Inspector General for Investigations, Gerald Roy who says the feds are currently looking for 170 criminals who’ve defrauded at least 400 million dollars from our health care programs. But Roy only hints at who these people are.
“Some criminals may be hiding overseas,” he says. “But fleeing the country is not a get out of jail free card. We have a global reach. We regularly work with domestic and foreign law enforcement agencies to bring these fugitives to justice in the U.S.” Here’s what Roy didn’t say and what I glean from studying this Most Wanted web site: A vast majority of suspects facing fraud charges hail from foreign countries. Many of them are now suspected of fleeing to India, Russia, Nigeria, Mexico, Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Columbia. They have names like Gautam Gupta and Anupal Gayen. Others have Hispanic surnames like Gonzales, Velazquez and Lopez. One of the women on the Most Wanted List is Ekaterina Shlykova.
“Some criminals may be hiding overseas,” he says. “But fleeing the country is not a get out of jail free card. We have a global reach. We regularly work with domestic and foreign law enforcement agencies to bring these fugitives to justice in the U.S.” Here’s what Roy didn’t say and what I glean from studying this Most Wanted web site: A vast majority of suspects facing fraud charges hail from foreign countries. Many of them are now suspected of fleeing to India, Russia, Nigeria, Mexico, Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Columbia. They have names like Gautam Gupta and Anupal Gayen. Others have Hispanic surnames like Gonzales, Velazquez and Lopez. One of the women on the Most Wanted List is Ekaterina Shlykova.
All of them have been charged with various schemes to bilk Medicare or insurance companies for goods and services that were not needed, not prescribed or never even delivered to the patient. They preyed on people in states with large elderly populations like Florida and Arizona. They also operated in California, Michigan, Illinois, Rhode Island, Texas and New York. I don’t bring this up as a way to bash foreigners. In fact, among those on the “Also Wanted” Inspector General’s list is a brazen American psychotherapist from Hawaii who the feds say fraudulently billed about $1 million to his state’s Medicaid program and various insurance companies for therapy sessions he shortchanged or didn’t bother to conduct. He did the same thing in Colorado in the early 80’s. Dr. Carlos Warter was found hiding in Argentina last year and is now fighting extradition back to the States.
In Miami, Florida, the nation’s other hot-spot for health care fraud, a trio called the Benitez Brothers and twenty co-conspirators allegedly pocketed $110 million in ill-gotten Medicare payments. Most defendants have pleaded guilty but the brothers – Carlos, Luis and Jose – are still at large. The point in bringing this problem to light is to remind folks that crime fighting can start with you. If a health care provider asks you to sign a form for a service or a medical item you never got – physical therapy, a wheelchair, a scooter, a hospital bed or elbow or knee braces – report it to the O.I.G. Hotline at 1-800-HHS-TIPS . Suspect fraud if you get a notice from your insurance company that they paid for an un-delivered service. If you are one of America’s 25 million diabetics and you are getting too many lancets or test strips via those mail order pharmacies many insurance companies make us use these days, chances are someone is illegally profiting from it. Chances are good that if a health care provider is cheating you they’ve cheated others and investigators need to know about it to build a case. And if you can, check out that spiffy web site I found and take a close look at the mug shots there. If you know something about one of the fugitives there – say something! It’s time we all became active in fighting this multi-million dollar crime. 
3 comments:
It's amazing to me that there is such a high amount of fraud as the insurance companies seem to ask anyone making a claim to jump through hoops for legitimate claims, perhaps they should write a book on how to get them to pay up.
Ann
I worked briefly for a skin doctor in Florida who was clearly taking advantage of the elderly but when I tried to have him investigated, I was the one who ended up being fired when the lead investigator told the doctor I was the one who called him! This makes it hard for honest people to make the necessary calls which might stop the fraud.
And by the way, that country in South America you referred to is not Columbia, but COLOMBIA.
Waiting for your more posts !
Christian Louboutin
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