Fix health care - First ferret out the crooks who make present system so expensive
Published: 2010-06-21 19:00:57By: Bakersfield Californian | March 11, 2010
The continuing increase in the cost of health care is damaging to all of us. In our current economy many of us worry whether we will be able to afford the health care our families need in the event of everyday sickness or catastrophic illness. While there may be valid reasons for many of these increases purposed by our insurance carriers, much of the increased cost of health care can be attributed to simply greed.
While most of us understand that insurance carriers are not "non-profits" and will roll their real costs into the premiums they charge you and me, we also understand there are health care costs that have nothing to do with being sick. Many health care costs are due to those who choose to steal from a health care system designed to care for us in those times of need.
I would like to offer a simple solution: Enforce the existing laws and sentence those who abuse the health care system to substantial jail terms and allow them to spend their days and nights with all the rest of the crooks.
We constantly hear those in positions of power whine about the increased costs, yet we do not provide our judicial system with the ability to investigate and stop the abuses of legal and medical providers who reap countless millions by cheating and stealing their way through an already flawed system.
For example, Premier Medical Management Systems once owned and operated five clinics in the Los Angeles area and contracted with over 100 medical providers. Premier has been charged with making false and fraudulent workers' compensation claims and filing false tax returns. On Feb. 19, the two principal owners, David Wayne Fish and Birger Greg Bacino, pleaded no contest to felony charges of submitting fraudulent medical bills totaling nearly $70 million. Yes -- $70 million!
As part of their plea agreement, both men will receive three years' probation and be required to pay $1.5 million (Fish has already paid $750,000 and Bacino has paid $150,000) to the California Franchise Tax Board and the California Department of Insurance's fraud unit. Both also face civil liabilities to the California Franchise Tax Board and potential tax liabilities to the IRS. And their company, Premier Medical Management Inc., also has tax liabilities with the California Franchise Tax Board.
Additionally, both men agreed to "waive any and all rights to any financial proceeds or other benefits from any Premier liens or bills that have been dismissed by September 22, 2009 dismissal." Those medical liens and pending medical bills total approximately $60 million -- and Fish and Bacino are simply walking away from them ... of course, in exchange they are not being sentenced to jail time, which is exactly where they belong.
Bacino, an attorney by trade, did give up his ability to "practice" law in California by resigning from the California State Bar on May 21, 2006, but he is still licensed to practice law in Washington, D.C., at least for the current time.