Md. Democrats tout crackdown on Medicaid fraud; Four plead not guilty in Calif. Medicare fraud case

The Baltimore Sun: "Touting a favorite program, Lt. Governor Anthony Brown said Thursday the state's health department has found $26 million in fraud and waste in the state Medicaid program. The extra cash will not close the roughly $1.5 billion deficit that awaits the winner of November's gubernatorial election, but Brown argued the extra money will help. Brown also used the occasion to remind folks that he lobbied to strengthen the state's Medicaid False Claims Act during the legislative session. … The new bill created a civil penalty for Medicaid fraud, which lets the state collect damages and allows Maryland to piggyback on the larger and lucrative federal investigations." Brown and Gov. Martin O'Malley are running for reelection in November against former Republican Gov. Robert Ehrlich and his running mate, Mary Kane (Linskey, 7/22).

San Diego Union Tribune: "Four people pleaded not guilty Thursday to Medicare-fraud charges involving a storefront clinic on El Cajon Boulevard in City Heights during a six-month period in 2006. In an indictment unsealed Thursday, the four are charged with paying recruiters, also called 'cappers,' to bring in patients with Medicare coverage" and commit fraudulent activities (Moran, 7/22).

San Diego 6: "Karen Kagramanian, 52, of Glendale, Daniel Baiandourian, 38, Stanley Garrido, 62, and Corazon Ferrer, 81 -- all of San Diego -- were charged with health care fraud conspiracy, health care fraud and offering and paying kickbacks, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Lawrence A. Casper. … A motion and trial-setting hearing is scheduled Sept. 7 before U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez" (7/22).

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This article was reprinted from khn.org with permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news service, is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy research organization unaffiliated with Kaiser Permanente.