Billions of taxpayer dollars
HomeCareCrisis.org Hall of Shame Welcomes New Inductee
Our new inductee should win an award for the most persistent and innovative schemer of Medicaid fraud. He was excluded from Medicaid in 1997 for fraudulently billing for unnecessary transportation services and services that were never provided. But by setting up an elaborate network of shell companies, he was able to bypass his Medicaid exclusion and continue scheming, though this time in the home care industry as well. The authorities caught up with him after a decade of unlawful business dealings that cheated the state Medicaid program out of $47 million.
Click here to find out the identity of the latest Hall of Shame inductee and how he kept himself below the radar.
New York Times article highlights threat to home care programs
Since the beginning of the recession, at least 25 states and the District of Columbia have cut programs for the elderly and disabled as a result of severe budget shortfalls, according to a report by the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities.
The report was cited by the New York Times in a lengthy article highlighting the likelihood that elderly and disabled people will be forced into nursing homes because of the lack of available home and community-based services.
Senate Committee Launches Inquiry Into For-Profit Home Care Agencies
A Wall Street Journal exposé spurred the Senate Finance Committee to look into Medicare billing practices of for-profit home care chains. According to the article, Amedisys, one of the nation’s largest home care companies, provided care at a level just enough to trigger additional Medicare payment. Read more.
HomeCareCrisis.org Hall of Shame Welcomes New Inductees
Our two inductees played leading roles in a fraudulent home health aide certificate scam that bilked Medicaid out of millions of dollars. Incredibly, it was not the first time one of them had been charged with engaging in such fraud. Worse yet, they entered the home care business with prior criminal records, including for violent offenses.
Find out the identity of the latest Hall of Shame inductee.
Home Care Industry Subject of
Labor Law Crackdown
Labor law violations in the home care industry in New York and around the country are at the center of a recent lawsuit, a survey of workers on wage theft and a U.S. Department of Labor campaign.
Lawsuit
A recent lawsuit alleges that New York City based McMillan’s Home Care Agency, Inc. consistently underpaid its workers. Complaints include requiring attendance at unpaid in-service trainings and failing to pay required overtime for work weeks that often exceeded 60 hours.
Click here to read more
Trial Offers a Window Into the Shadows of the Home Care Industry
Defense counsel Albert Brackley addresses the jury
Home health aide training school operator Ronald Kehinde is currently on trial for eighteen counts ranging from grand larceny in the first degree to petit larceny. Throughout the proceedings, Kahinde and his lawyer showed a shocking level of contempt for home care workers and their clients.
Click here to read more.
The Case of the For-Profit
Home Care Takeover
For-profit home care agencies in New York have grown at an alarming rate in recent years. These agencies have put downward pressure on the home care industry, hurting standards of care and keeping wages for caregivers low. Enormous sums of public money have been squandered in excessive agency profits and even fraud. Home care clients, caregivers and taxpayers all suffer when profits are put before care.
Click here to read more about the case of the for-profit takeover.
Click here to see the names of the fastest growing agencies and their owners.
HomeCareCrisis.org Hall of Shame Welcomes New Inductee
Our latest inductee came into the spotlight for its involvement in a $90 million suit for Medicaid fraud damages. The company, along with a major contractor, was forced to repay $23,963,100 to settle the charges. In 2007, this hall of shamer was the fifth largest subcontractor in the home care industry, employing more than 1,400 aides.
Find out the identity of the latest Hall of Shame inductee.
Budget Proposal Could Worsen Home Care Crisis
The plan proposes to remove approximately 5,000 patients from New York State's Personal Care program. This proposal would result in $2 per hour wage cuts and the loss of family health insurance for more than 10,000 workers, which could significantly worsen the home care crisis. Read more
The Case of the Poverty Paycheck:
Home Care Hall of Shame
Welcomes First Inductee
Our first inductee beat many worthy nominees for his spot in the Hall of Shame. This Hall of Shamer admitted to Medicaid fraud, pleading guilty to felony grand larceny charges. His companies were forced to repay $19.7 million, among the largest Medicaid recoveries in 2007.
Find out the identity of the first inductee into the Hall of Shame
The Case of the Home Care Money:
