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Free taxis with Medicaid (ObamaCare blood-boiling government waste preview alert)
(Charleston, WV) Daily Mail ^ | January 8, 2010 | Don Surber

Posted on 01/08/2010 5:11:59 AM PST by Zakeet

For three years now, a woman has left her home in Poughkeepsie, New York, five days a week and taken a taxi to visit her child at St. Margaret’s Center, a nursing home for disabled children in Albany, New York. Each night, she rides home by taxi.

That costs $300 a day.

What dedication — by taxpayers.

That is right. Taxpayers have shelled out $196,000 over the past three years so that she can make this Poughkeepsie-Albany commute each day. Incredibly, state health officials defended this daily abuse of taxpayers. Could not the woman move to Albany?

It would have been cheaper to buy her a Cadillac Escapade and have her drive herself.

But under Medicaid’s incomprehensibly illogical rules, taxpayers had to give this woman a whopping $65,000 subsidy.

We underpay doctors by 20% or more. But one — likely two — cab drivers have a gravy train going there.

For New York state, the bill comes to $98,000 — with federal taxpayers shelling out another $98,000.

Oh and this happens all over the place. Ambulances in Southern West Virginia became taxis as they shuttled people off to the drug store and the like — and then billed Medicaid.

(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.dailymail.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Extended News; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: medicaid; obamacare; waste
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My name is Mohammed and I support ObamaCare

1 posted on 01/08/2010 5:12:00 AM PST by Zakeet
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To: Zakeet

It DOES happen all over. A doctor friend of mine complains bitterly about Medicaid patients getting free cab rides while he gets paid SQUAT by Medicaid for providing health services to our growing population of indigents.


2 posted on 01/08/2010 5:15:25 AM PST by tgusa (Gun control: deep breath, sight alignment, squeeze the trigger ....)
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To: Zakeet

“Cadillac Escapade”

Thank you, Dr. Freud!


3 posted on 01/08/2010 5:20:17 AM PST by Fresh Wind ("...a whip of political correctness strangles their voice"-Vaclav Klaus on GW skeptics)
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To: tgusa; Zakeet

My daughter was an EMT and she said the welfare class treated the ambulance as a taxi and expected to be shuttled around to the hospital in it (even for visiting another patient)! They would become outraged if told they had to take a taxi, even though they were fully reimbursed for it, unlike the average working stiff, who had to pay for his own subway or bus ride.


4 posted on 01/08/2010 5:22:53 AM PST by livius
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To: Zakeet

Muslim subsidy..


5 posted on 01/08/2010 5:23:00 AM PST by sheik yerbouty ( Make America and the world a jihad free zone!)
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To: sheik yerbouty

You got that right.


6 posted on 01/08/2010 5:27:02 AM PST by freekitty (Give me back my conservative vote; then find me a real conservative to vote for)
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To: tgusa

A Mexican guy that used to work where I worked before I got laid off, got sick with Lord knows what and had a hospital stay and lots of doctor visits. Being Mexican they have “advocates” who help them milk the system. He told me if you don’t have a ride to the doctor’s office they will send a car to drive you. Oh and by the way, he chose not to buy the insurance our employer offered and paid for in part. So when he went to the hospital and all the doctor visits he didn’t pay one damn dime. Now I can guarantee that if it had been me I wouldn’t have had all those favors. I know because the one time I went to apply for food stamps because I was making $250 a week, husband was out of work and I had two kids, the lady might as well have said ‘you’re white so you might as well forget it’.


7 posted on 01/08/2010 5:35:15 AM PST by visualops (Pray for the USA)
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To: Zakeet

Trailways bus would have delivered there also at a cheaper price.


8 posted on 01/08/2010 5:40:35 AM PST by 1_Rain_Drop
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To: livius

“Entitlements”, don’cha know.


9 posted on 01/08/2010 5:42:05 AM PST by tgusa (Gun control: deep breath, sight alignment, squeeze the trigger ....)
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To: Zakeet

What is this women’s name? It needs to be publicized, not so much to embarrass her but to give this issue a human face.


10 posted on 01/08/2010 5:42:27 AM PST by Comparative Advantage
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To: visualops

I have heard EXACTLY the same story from a friend in SC who went to apply for food stamps and was denied. So, she fed her kids beans and rice until the job situation improved, while the ‘entitled class’ presumably ate pork rinds and cheese doodles on the taxpayers’ dime.


11 posted on 01/08/2010 5:44:57 AM PST by tgusa (Gun control: deep breath, sight alignment, squeeze the trigger ....)
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To: tgusa

Cab rides? I WISH they called a cab. They call a frickin AMBULANCE to drag them abound. In Atlanta the EMS system has a problem with people calling for ambulance to take them to Grady Memorial, then once they get there they leave AMA and go clubbing.


12 posted on 01/08/2010 5:45:36 AM PST by Kozak (USA 7/4/1776 to 1/20/2009 Reqiescat in Pace)
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To: Kozak

All this is absolutely true. Years and years ago I was standing outside of Montefiore hospital in the north Bronx. I saw swarms of what were essentially minivans circling and circling the city blocks that made up the hospital.

I asked a doctor who worked there what they were and he said “Ambulettes”. They are essentially mini-vans dressed up to look like ambulances and they circle the hospital for the fares (taxpayer paid) that would be $15 cab rides but instead are $100-$200 “ambulette” rides.

This has been going on for a VERY long time.


13 posted on 01/08/2010 5:50:09 AM PST by 2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten
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To: Zakeet

Indiana gives medicaid moms walmart gift cards as a bribe to have their children vaccinated.


14 posted on 01/08/2010 5:51:28 AM PST by wordsofearnest (Job 19:25 As for me, I know my Redeemer lives.)
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To: 2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten
Google image search for "ambulette".

15 posted on 01/08/2010 5:52:57 AM PST by 2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten
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To: tgusa

I’ll add a story to that- I gave a black co-worker a ride to and from work for weeks because of her sob story about her broken down car. One day she asked to stop at the grocery store because she had gone to social services and got food stamps. They issued her $90 on the spot. So she had bags full of name brand snacks etc. Just burned me up. After that I told her sorry, I couldn’t give her a ride any more.


16 posted on 01/08/2010 6:02:53 AM PST by visualops (Pray for the USA)
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To: Zakeet
Old retired guy/taxi driver here... This is happening everywhere. In my town we drive junkies to the methadone clinics on your dime so they can get free drugs on your dime and then we drive them on your dime to their subsidized apartments (your dime) where they can enjoy their free utilites (your dime) and trade their food stamps (your dime) for street drugs.

Don't be late or you'll face a litany of complaints about how tough life is and don't be early or you'll listen to how tough it is to get up so early (10:00 A.M.)

Three clinics in a small city (a town really) serving about 3,000 junkies This number does not include low income folks who also get subsidized rides (and apartment, utilities and food stamps), some to and from the grocery store, some for hospital visits or the elderly who get the same.

These subsidized rides are enough to keep four or five small taxi fleets going.

Thanks for putting some gold in my Golden Years, Uncle Stupid!

17 posted on 01/08/2010 6:05:59 AM PST by metesky (My retirement fund is holding steady @ $.05 a can.)
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To: visualops

My wife and I refer to those sad sacks as ‘professional victims.’ The really tragic part of the story is that they’ve taken over the federal gummint. At least for now.


18 posted on 01/08/2010 6:27:19 AM PST by tgusa (Gun control: deep breath, sight alignment, squeeze the trigger ....)
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To: metesky

LOL! Love your tagline!


19 posted on 01/08/2010 6:28:43 AM PST by tgusa (Gun control: deep breath, sight alignment, squeeze the trigger ....)
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To: visualops

That reminds me of one of my former co-workers, who was also a neighbor. She approached me with a sob story about how she couldn’t drive because she couldn’t afford car repairs, so I agreed to ferry her back and forth to work. Well, eventually it turned out that the sob story was BS and the real problem was she lost her license due to a hit-and-run. She didn’t ride with me any more.


20 posted on 01/08/2010 6:34:58 AM PST by Fresh Wind ("...a whip of political correctness strangles their voice"-Vaclav Klaus on GW skeptics)
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