Posted on 08/11/2011 4:17:35 PM PDT by paul in cape
DHHS Worker: “If you don’t have proof of income, then you have no income.”
An outside investigation into Maine’s Medicaid system reveals a shocking potential for fraud within Maine’s vast welfare bureaucracy, and it’s all on video. Yet policy reforms to increase accountability and safeguard measures will help protect Maine’s welfare system from fraud, if officials act soon.
The Maine Heritage Policy Center (MHPC) and Americans for Prosperity-Maine (AFP) held a joint press conference in Augusta today, where the groups showed footage from a video-recorded interaction earlier this year between a Department of Health and Human Services employee at the Biddeford office, and an individual posing as a “pharmaceutical” importer seeking free, taxpayer-funded Medicaid health coverage.
The individual, who posed as a Mr. Ted Ceanneidigh, revealed the following to the DHHS worker:
•He has access to enough money to buy private health insurance
•He drives a Corvette
•His parent are unaware he has turned their failing fishing business into a “pharmaceutical imports” business that does its dealings in international waters •His business card prominently features a marijuana leaf
•His income is strictly in cash and precious metals, because metals are “less traceable.”
•He has no pay stubs and none of his income is declared After learning this information, the DHHS employee advised the individual to keep his income hidden.
“You don’t have a paycheck, you don’t file taxes, you have no income,” the employee said.
(Excerpt) Read more at mainepolicy.org ...
New Republican Governor Paul LePage has vowed to investigate.....good.
Really lame video here:
http://www.youtube.com/user/MaineHeritagePolicy?feature=mhee#p/u/1/qADIvWu6TVw
See? It’s on Youtube. There’s no reason to send folks to a lame blog to see it.
Stopping welfare fraud alone would put the country in the black. Out in California I’ve seen illegals driving brand new escalades. Illegals go under several different alias’s and collect on each one.
Welfare fraud? Who’d a thunk it possible?
I don’t see why the headline calls this “shocking.” What would really be “shocking” would be a video of some government program using tax monies wisely to accomplish a serious public purpose. I won’t hold my breath.
The people who are charged with protecting the public treasury are instead helping to raid it.
Hoo wooda thunk?
The people in charge of handling welfare cases are paid because the welfare system exists in its present form. I wonder how motivated they would be to root out false applications, as that would mean fewer cases to deal with - which in turn would mean fewer welfare clerks to deal with the cases.
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