Bachmann's husband got $137,000 in Medicaid funds

NBC ^ | Tuesday June 28, 2011 | Michael Isikoff

[Bigtigermike]

While Rep. Michele Bachmann has forcefully denounced the Medicaid program for swelling the "welfare rolls," the mental health clinic run by her husband has been collecting annual Medicaid payments totaling over $137,000 for the treatment of patients since 2005, according to new figures obtained by NBC News.

The previously unreported payments are on top of the $24,000 in federal and state funds that Bachmann & Associates, the clinic founded by Marcus Bachmann, a clinical therapist, received in recent years under a state grant to train its employees, state records show. The figures were provided to NBC News in response to a Freedom of Information request.

The $161,000 in payments from the Minnesota Department of Human Services to her husband's clinic appear to contradict some of Michelle Bachmann's public accounts this week when she was first asked about the extent to which her family has benefited from government aid. Contacted this afternoon, Alice Stewart, a spokeswoman for Bachmann, said the congresswoman was doing campaign events and was not immediately available for comment.

[...]

When asked by anchor Chris Wallace on "Fox News Sunday" about the story's assertion that her husband's counseling clinic had also gotten federal and state funds, Bachmann replied that it was "one-time training money that came from the federal government. And it certainly didn't help our clinic."

At another point, she said, "My husband and I did not get the money," adding that it was "mental health training money that went to the employees."

But state records show that Bachmann & Associates has been collecting payments under the Minnesota's Medicaid program every year for the past six years. Karen Smigielski, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Human Services, said the state's Medicaid program is funded "about 50-50" with federal and state monies.

[kcvl]

What did it cost him to deliver those services.

A hell of a lot more than he received I can tell you that for sure!

[VRWCmember]

about why they have not offered to pay more than they owe in taxes to the government.

Or for that matter why they refuse to pay even what they owe, let alone paying more.

[P-Marlowe]

i LIKE Herman Cain. i think he is a TRUE Tea Party Conservative. He’s not a tax lawyer, He’s not a politician, and hasn’t been in Washington for years...
...but, if he did the SAME things as Bachmann, i’d be honest enough, to say the SAME things....
I respectfully ask her supporters, to be honest, and vett her for her gaffes the same as they would if if Gingrich or Romney did the SAME thing.

Why should anyone listen to you?

You don't know how to use a shift button.

You don't know that "I" is supposed to be capitalized.

Your sentence structure is fragmented.

You don't know how to format a paragraph.

The grammatical and typographical errors in your post are so numerous I could not begin to count them all.

And yet you think you are qualified to publicly pass judgment on Bachmann's gaffs?

[fish hawk]

This is all bull crap. That money went to the nurses and employees that worked at their clinic for training and etc. The Bachmanns themselves did not get a dime of it. Yes, it did help their clinic but to insinuate that the Bachmanns gained money personally from this is pure trash. Michele explained all of this on Nat. Television this week end. Also her husbands mother and father own a farm and they received farm subsidies but the money went to them and Michele and her husband don't own the farm and did not get in on that money either. This is all from the left wing, conservative hating news media.

[old curmudgeon]

The medicaid grant thing is BS. Forget it.

The farm payments are of more interest.

But then again we don’t know the full story.

She is a tax lawyer. There could be some tax gimmick that would still result in her not gaining.

The farm is in trust, according to press reports. The payment might have been made to the trust rather than to her personally. Her federal tax return would be of more interest.

A tax attorney her age with as many children as she has, with family trusts...there would be a lot that we can’t decipher from a financial disclosure form.

And don’t forget this was started by the LA times and there is no more liberal organization in the country.

[greeneyes]

I prefer Palin, but to label what Michelle said a lie is falling for the MSM inaccurate reporting. Medicaid is the insurance program set up by the government for the poor. Wherein the government pays the doctor much less than it usually costs to provide the service.

It is not a grant, or some kind of Federal Aid and welfare for doctors and clinics. Many doctors will not even accept Medicaid patients. Would anyone call a payment from Blue Cross some sort of financial aid or grant?

Seems to me the MSM is redefining what is estentially fee for service as if it was some largess funneled unethically to a politician's family. Well that dog don't hunt!

So the people have government insurance, but no access to health care. At least her husband is taking care of the people with out discriminating against the kind of insurance they have.

[P-Marlowe]

And a lot of cultists, including some FReepers, are more than willing to help out the MSM in their attempts.

Up until yesterday I was jumping on that bandwagon. Stephanopolis' admission that the MSM is going to try everything to destroy her opened my eyes. I have vowed not to join in that chorus and will not say negative things about her unless she starts throwing personal insults at Palin.

She's not my first choice, but she deserves to be treated with a little more respect on Free Republic than what she is getting on NBC news.

[VRWCmember]

When asked by anchor Chris Wallace on "Fox News Sunday" about the story's assertion that her husband's counseling clinic had also gotten federal and state funds, Bachmann replied that it was "one-time training money that came from the federal government. And it certainly didn't help our clinic."

At another point, she said, "My husband and I did not get the money," adding that it was "mental health training money that went to the employees."

But state records show that Bachmann & Associates has been collecting payments under the Minnesota's Medicaid program every year for the past six years.

Looks to me like there are two different things being discussed here: (1) federal funds to clinics for whatever programs are available; and (2) payments for services rendered. When you treat a patient and receive payment for that treatment, essentially the doctor receives funds from the patient who may have received the funds from thhe federal government or from insurance of whatever.

[Kickass Conservative]

Michelle Bachmann’s Husband got paid $137,000 over six years treating sick patients while Obama spends that much money in the first 30 minutes flying Air Force One to a DNC fundraiser.

Yeah, really big scandal there.

I'm not a big Bachmann fan, but this is really weak.

[newzjunkey]

Who's lying now?

Contrary to the article claims*, Bachmann was specifically asked by Wallace about the $30K in State/Federal Funds and she answered the question on that point, and truthfully as confirmed by this NBC piece.

Watch the question, 2:30 in

---

* The article says, "When asked by anchor Chris Wallace on "Fox News Sunday" about the story's assertion that her husband's counseling clinic had also gotten federal and state funds" which is a FALSE and INACCURATE reflection of what Bachmann was asked.

It was a specific question from Wallace and she answered it specifically. See the onscreen graphic or review the video at the link above.

[Awryly]

Ah huh?

I am glad to hear you confirm she didn’t lie about all the money her husband got.

We can now proceed knowing she is a paragon of truth and virtue.

God willing.

[newzjunkey]

You are absolutely correct.

One is fee-for-service. Medicaid-covered patients bills were paid by Medicaid! The horror! The scandal!

The other is the training money which was specifically what FoxNews Sunday asked her about. NBC does not dispute her answer to that specific question but rather supports her assertion while twisting Chris Wallace's question to make it appear she was lying!

For the past four days I've heard "Pulitzer Prize winning Politifact" in story after story, media outlet after media outlet from Fox to CBS, from ABC to the AP.

They're all drawing from the same tainted well on the talking point that "flake" Bachmann is a hypocritical lying liar who lies about everything.

[Fledermaus]

Isakoff is such a whore.

[kcvl]

Soooo___________________________he should have turned away the patients who were on Medicaid??

Exactly! They should really make up their minds or at least get their facts straight.

Remeber, Isokoff was sitting on the Monica Lewinsky story when Drudge broke it!

[DoughtyOne]

I came on this thread knowing exactly what I was going to find, and boy some political idiots sure don’t disappoint.

The people that criticize Bachmann and her husband for this have outed themselves for being totally clueless about healthcare and government funding.

Let me clue you folks in, for every dollar her husband got, he was probably owed two or more for a number of months before he got payment.

WTF is wrong with you people? Pull your head out of your ass and learn more before start criticizing people on these matters

To Bachmann’s credit she’s speaking out to get thing fixed that do affect her husband’s practice. And it may surprise you that his patient will probably be better off after her suggestions are adopted.

[DoughtyOne]

Thank you. Some political novices around here were about to wet themselves.

I’ve never seen a segment of FReeperville USA be so ready to throw a hussy fit every ten minutes all day long.

The overt expressions of being scared to death Bachmann may catch on beats anything I’ve ever seen here.

Here’s a hint folks. These types of comments are making you look like consummate fools.

1. I like Michelle, but her shoelace was untied. I can’t support her now. This will cost her all her support.

2. I was her biggest supporter, but she wore white before Memorial Day. I can’t take anymore.

3. Yesterday she parked and didn’t put any money in the meter, because there was enough time left from the previous person. She is so crooked!

I’ll tell ya, I’ve never seen a group of people on this forum so desperate prior to this.

[Kickass Conservative]

I was commenting on the article insinuating her Husband was doing something illegal by taking money for doing his job and providing a service to his patients.

My comment didn't “confirm” whether she lied or not. You are really taking a leap with your accusation of what I meant.

If she “lied” about her Husband's business, then she will not receive any support from me. If I wanted to support liars, I would vote Democrat every time.

[Rodney Dangerfield]

Did they mention the doubling of Mooochelle’s salary after Obama steered Millions towards the hospital she worked at?

Of course they didn’t.

Lying by omission.

A media specialty.

My parents grew up in Eastern Europe.

They are no longer with us, but even 20 years ago, they told me the US media is like the Eastern Euro media, and that conservative talk-radio (Rush was just starting out back then) was the equivalent of Radio Free Europe and how they used to huddle around a radio to hear the static filled broadcast of world events, which played a big decision in them sneaking thru the Iron Curtain and coming to America.

[newzjunkey]

In this issue of those clinic funds, she DID NOT lie. I suggest you review the Wallace interview. I posted a link at 150 and explained how NBC is falsely characterizing the question she was asked to make her answer appear a lie all while confirming in their own article what she said in response to the direct question was true!

If you're talking about the farm, that's another thing because it doesn't make any sense either from a 'gotcha' press view or from her "quoted" comments. Since all I know about what she's said about the farm is made up of disconnected "quotes" from the press without context, it's hard to trust their claims in the absence of specificity. There's no dissecting exposé just petty parsing.

The flap over taking Medicare patient's Medicare coverage to pay for their clinic bills (how dare they!) and distortion of the training funds specific question gives me reason to be very suspicious of the press particularly when they have no clear story on the farm topic.

The press should be reporting on actual lies, not creating fake stories to support a pre-determinted narrative. Remember this is part of the same media machine which created false documents about W's national guard service (debunked at FR) and Sunday misreported the Des Moines Register poll by excluding Cain's third place finish both aloud and with the on-air graphic. Did CBS apologize? Did talk radio notice? Mediaite? Nothing.

They are agenda-driven partisans who will throw both lies and some truths on air and into print about politicians they oppose. As a potential voter, it's fatiguing to both sort through both the candidate's nonsense and the press's!

Unfortunately we do need to look closely at whether the press is truthful when it makes accusations. I do not want to be distracted by false allegations because 1. they demoralize all potential "Done in One" voters, 2. harm potentially good candidates, 3. real charges, real flaws get lost and distorted.

Some here are happy to see this feeding frenzy because they refuse to believe Bachmann isn't a stalking horse for Romney or that she's only trying to prevent non-candidate Palin from winning the nomination so they relish attacks on her even if it means parsing the word "raised" in relation to the foster kids.

I'm not for any one candidate at this point and still hope a couple others get in. I'm for rooting out the best, accurate, information on these people so we can make fair and reasonable determinations on who to support so a fractured base doesn't lead to another senile losing candidate. The Nov 2012 election is far too important.

Bachmann frustrates me. I wish she would be less of a legalistic parser looking for talking-point insertion opportunities and be more extemporaneous, straightforward and not so scripted because it gives rise to an air of suspicion ('what's she hiding?') and gives weight to these "credibility" problems. She comes off too much as a politician.

[newzjunkey]

Nicely said!