Posted on 11/12/2013 8:50:04 AM PST by SeekAndFind
Though a sideshow throughout Obamacares passage and litigation, Medicaids pivotal role in President Obamas health care reform effort has become apparent following the laws October 1 implementation. In many states, Medicaid enrollment through the Healthcare.gov portal is dwarfing the number of private insurance plan purchases [1].
While this development represents a major financial threat to the survival of Obamacare, new regulations established by Obamacare to cover Medicaid enrollment have created a major threat to the United States ability to administrate that far larger benefit program.
Following is a summary of the problem:
While troubling, final approval of fraudulent applications represents a lesser element of the problem regarding non-citizen enrollment. The greater concern is initial approval:
In February of this year, James Edwards of the Center for Immigration Studies [4] published a report titled Immigration and Obamacare: Proposed Medicaid Rules for Verifying Status [5]. His report summarized the federal governments January publication of such rules being proposed by the Health and Human Services Department and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. These proposed rules were later finalized on July 15 (click here for the 164-page Final Rule document [6]).
Edwards report documented the security flaws developing as a result of the Obama administrations political goal of enrolling as many people as possible in some sort of health care coverage.
Following are highlights from Edwards report, focusing on the easing of the non-citizen application process and the removal of safeguards:
- Two, down from three, documents are to be required to establish one’s status. Attestation made about someone’s citizenship status in a single affidavit counts as one of the accepted forms of identity.
This means that a signed document from a second individual which simply states that the applicant is who he says is will be an accepted form of identification.
- Electronic documentation begins to overtake presentation of authentic identification documents. Similarly, a record of identity or status verification is regarded as more important than having authenticated copies of valid, legitimate documents on record.
States do not need to file copies of the documents. They are only required to keep track of whether or not the documents were accepted. No paper trail.
- If electronic verification of citizenship or immigration status fails or is delayed, applicants for health benefits must have a “reasonable opportunity period” in which to confirm their status. If otherwise eligible for Medicaid, states must grant Medicaid enrollment to unverified persons during this period. “Reasonable opportunity” even applies, under this rule, to persons “unable to provide a SSN [Social Security number]“ — a rather glaring loophole for frauds to exploit.
Edwards use of the phrase otherwise eligible raises the issue of the expansion and easing of the verification process for Medicaid and CHIP under President Obama. For example, eligibility for CHIP was expanded during President Obama’s first term, and the necessary documentation was decreased.
So: how simple is it to fraudulently enroll for Medicaid under the rules governing Obamacare?
Submit electronic copies of a false affidavit and a false work document while claiming to be a member of the presumed eligible populations, and you are required to get at least 90 days.
Most troubling, the establishment of Healthcare.gov and the other state-run exchanges allows this fraud to be perpetrated from anywhere on the planet. I asked Edwards:
PJM: Based on the HHS/CMMS rules, couldnt, say, al-Zawahiri get himself auto-enrolled with a reasonable opportunity period from a laptop in Pakistan?
Edwards: I hadnt thought of that. Yes.
In addition to the economic risk of millions arriving at domestic health care providers with fraudulent approvals and Medicaid ID numbers, Medicaid databases could be so overwhelmed with fraudulent information so as to be rendered administratively unmanageable and unreliable.
Effectively, the databases would be useless and pointless. An organized entity could, rather simply, employ this tactic to economically damage and humiliate the United States.
Ironically, the massive failure of the exchange websites has postponed the risk until the websites are functioning properly.
If the Obama administration is able to get the electronic exchanges working, they will immediately face a fresh nightmare. Flaws in the ACA law itself may create much larger problems than slow enrollment, dropped coverage, and more expensive plans.
URLs in this post:
[1] Medicaid enrollment through the Healthcare.gov portal is dwarfing the number of private insurance plan purchases: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/10/31/in-first-month-the-vast-majority-of-obamacare-sign-ups-are-in-medicaid/
[2] DRAINING THE SWAMP: Top 40 Troubling Listings from the Obamacare Navigator/Assister Security Nightmare, and Identity Theft Russian Roulette: Healthcare.gov Refers Users to Uncertified Navigators and Assisters.): http://pjmedia.com/blog/draining-the-swamp-top-40-troubling-listings-from-the-obamacare-navigatorassister-security-nightmare/
[3] James O’Keefe’s undercover sting, which reveals the inevitable results of creating such an unaccountable program: http://www.nationalreview.com/article/363699/truth-about-navigators-john-fund
[4] Center for Immigration Studies: http://cis.org
[5] Immigration and Obamacare: Proposed Medicaid Rules for Verifying Status: http://cis.org/immigration-and-obamacare#8
[6] click here for the 164-page Final Rule document: https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2013/07/15/2013-16271/medicaid-and-childrens-health-insurance-programs-essential-health-benefits-in-alternative-benefit
Actually, the only people covered by Obamacare will be AQ. That’s the whole point.
Well..., in Obama’s defense, we are going to be providing health care to foreign nationals anyway. (insert rimshot)
I’m sure his Muslim Brotherhood advisers will also be signing on in a show of solidarity.
/s
LMAO
F:aw??? This is the globull president we’re talking about. He thinks the “rich” USA should give everybody everything, beginning with the Parasite Class here at home and then “sharing the wealth” with the Muslim world in gratitude for all their magnificent contributions to our country. That is how our First Dictator thinks.
Worst sex change ever...
And I used to think the Clinton White House had the corner on the geeks and freaks from the circus traveling road show unemployed.
It won’t be funny if some third world “enrollee” uses a random SS Number that is yours.
Wow.
I say that a lot these days
Scams accompany rollout of Obamacare
Confusion over health insurance law opens floodgates for fraud
Now that you mention it... She DOES kinda look like John Kerry.
In the name of national security SHUT IT DOWN!
ping!
LOL - now that's funny.
Who designed this? Cloward and Piven?
:^)
Charming.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.