Open Thread | Rural Hospital Scam

Posted on August 26, 2019 by rikyrah

Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee….all places that refused the Medicaid Expansion of Obamacare. ….am I right?

Of course, accepting the Obamacare money would mean supporting 44, and they couldn’t have that…so, they threw in with a conman.

But, we’re supposed to feel sorry that they got took in by a hustler……

The Collapse Of A Hospital Empire — And Towns Left In The Wreckage

By Barbara Feder Ostrov and Lauren Weber
Photos by Heidi de Marco
AUGUST 20, 2019

SWEET SPRINGS, Mo. — The money was so good in the beginning, and it seemed it might gush forever, right through tiny country hospitals in Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee and into the coffers of companies controlled by Jorge A. Perez, his family and business partners.
It was his “secret sauce,” the rotund Miami entrepreneur would smilingly tell people in their no-stoplight towns. The money-making ventures he proposed sounded complicated, sure, but he said they would bring in enough cash to save their hospital and dozens, even hundreds, of good jobs in rural towns where gainful employment is hard to come by.
And, in town after town, the people believed him. He offered what they could not resist: hope, and the promise of survival.

Then a few major health insurance companies got suspicious, as did some government officials. How could Unionville, Mo. — a town of 1,790 — generate $92 million in hospital lab fees for blood and urine samples in just six months? Why had lab billings at a 25-bed hospital in Plymouth, N.C., nearly tripled to $32 million in the year after Perez’s company took control?
The lab billings, insurers alleged, were simply fraudulent. Blue Cross Blue Shield and other insurers started filing lawsuits, stopped making reimbursements and shut off the spigot.
At the height of his operation, Perez and his Miami-based management company, EmpowerHMS, helped oversee a rural empire encompassing 18 hospitals across eight states. Perez owned or co-owned 11 of those hospitals and was CEO of the companies that provided their management and billing services. He was affiliated with companies that owned or managed the rest.

………………………………………….

How companies run by this Miami businessman and his associates were able to drive so many hospitals into the ground so quickly, devastating their communities, is a story about the fragility of health care in rural America and the types of money-making ventures that have flourished in legal gray areas of America’s complicated medical system.

……………….

A year later, he invested in a struggling hospital in Williston, Fla., and with partner David Byrns landed a management contract for Putnam County Memorial in Unionville, Mo. In 2017, Perez formed a partnership with Paul Nusbaum, a former secretary of health and human resources in West Virginia, and acquired controlling interest in 10 hospitals in Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Tennessee and North Carolina, swallowing them whole.

ALL states, with the exception of Kansas (who only recently did), refused to accept Obamacare Medicaid Expansion.
A story told over and over in rural America. The same ‘ real Americans’ that keep on voting in people who refused to take Medicaid Expansion from Obamacare, because, it’s OBAMACARE. Then, they wonder why their rural hospitals are closing, thus pushing them to go hours for medical care. Their hatred was more important than their own health. Stacey Abrams certainly made Medicaid Expansion in Georgia as a main part of the platform that she ran on, yet, they let the crook and thief into office.
I want to feel bad that these people were suckered, but, I’m past that point, cause it didn’t have to be this way.

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83 Responses to Open Thread | Rural Hospital Scam

  1. rikyrah says:
    August 27, 2019 at 1:47 pm

    Hundreds of dancers take part in ballet flash mob in Times Square in protest at US TV presenter’s mocking comments about Prince George

    TV host admitted she ‘screwed up’, calling her reaction ‘insensitive’ and ‘stupid’

    Spencer then tried to make further amends by interviewing three male dancers

    They then led hundreds of ballet dancers outside the GMA studio on Monday

    Dancers told Spencer they ‘wish people would be open-minded and understand’

    Lara had laughed and stifled giggles while talking about George’s dance classes

    By DANYAL HUSSAIN FOR MAILONLINE and LAUREN FRUEN FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

    PUBLISHED: 08:03 EDT, 27 August 2019 | UPDATED: 09:10 EDT, 27 August 2019

    Reply
  2. rikyrah says:
    August 27, 2019 at 12:55 pm

    The Demons never stop:
    The Cruelty IS the point

    After Receiving Denial Letters, Immigrants Fear End Of Medical Deferral Program
    August 26, 2019

    Dismaying immigrants and advocates, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) sent out letters saying the agency will no longer consider most deferrals of deportation for people with serious medical conditions, documents show.

    The agency is now saying those decisions will be made by another agency: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

    That was not made clear to Boston-area immigrants who received the denial letters last week. Advocates said they received no formal announcement of a change in policy.

    The small program known as “medical deferred action” allows people to remain in the U.S. for two-year periods if they can prove extreme medical need. Many of the people affected by the policy change came to the U.S. through a visa or other permitted status and are requesting to stay beyond those terms to receive medical treatment.

    Hours after this story was published Monday, a USCIS spokeswoman responded to several requests for clarification about the policy shift to say that “medical deferred action requests are now submitted to ICE for consideration.”

    This shift in policy has not been announced publicly by the government, and immigration advocates and attorneys question why this new process wasn’t mentioned in the denial letters.

    In response to a WBUR request for details, a spokesman for ICE sent this statement late Tuesday morning: “As with any request for deferred action, ICE reviews each case on its own merits and exercises appropriate discretion after reviewing all the facts involved.”

    Anthony Marino, director of legal services for the Irish International Immigrant Center (IIIC), explained that up until now, federal immigration officials would routinely permit eligible sick people to stay in the country under this program. But last week, five of his clients — who he says would have typically qualified — received what appeared to be template denial letters with the exact same language.

    “The denials say specifically that the immigration service is just no longer considering deferring action at all in these cases, which would be a first in decades,” he said.

    Marino added many of the affected clients at the center are families whose children are battling cancer, cystic fibrosis, HIV, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy and epilepsy.

    Reply
  3. Tyren M says:
    August 27, 2019 at 10:58 am

    Good morning 3Chics! I enjoyed Missy getting her flowers. I’m officially “old.” Those who think Missy invented the video have no idea that were it not for Michael, MTV wouldn’t give a Missy a 2nd thought. Anyway, I look forward to watching it all with daughter tonight.

    Also looking forward to attending the Great White Get Together aka The Minnesota State Fair. I’m going to see Hall and Oates Wednesday, Lionel Richie Friday and Tony Toni Tone Saturday night. I’ll let you know if I find any new Black vendors. Ametia, are you going?

    Reply
  4. rikyrah says:
    August 27, 2019 at 9:52 am

    Reading the tweets about this just broke my heart :(

    Former NFL Fullback Le’Ron McClain Posts Heart-Wrenching Plea for Help on Twitter: ‘My Head Is Crazy…Help Me Please!’

    Stephen A. Crockett Jr.
    Yesterday 3:00pm

    Former Pro Bowl fullback Le’Ron McClain couldn’t hold it in anymore, so he let the world know that he’s in pain and he needs help.

    On Saturday, McClain, 34, who logged minutes with the Baltimore Ravens, San Diego Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs during his seven-year NFL career, took to Twitter to tell his fans and friends that he’s been dealing with head and brain issues that he believes stems from his years of playing football, Sports Illustrated reports.

    “Playing fullback since high school. Its takes too fucking much to do anything. My brain is fucking tired,” McClain tweeted, SI reports. “@NFL i need some help with this shit. Dark times and its showing. Fucking help me please!! They dont care I had to get lawyers man!

    “Need to tell my story of how my head is crazy and how football did it…. Please someone help me get this out the @NFL puts paperwork in out faces and thats it,” McClain continued. “Yes its programs fuck all that I need help now I need a plan….. Fuck Man. They dont fucking get it man.”

    Reply
  5. rikyrah says:
    August 27, 2019 at 9:42 am

    Sigh…
    Sigh…
    This just fills me full of rage.

    Late Charge: Judge Says Prosecutors’ Demand to Free ‘Innocent’ Man Jailed for Murder Comes 24 Years Too Late

    Dara Sharif
    Yesterday 7:00pm

    Despite overwhelming evidence by prosecutors that a man sitting in a Missouri prison was wrongfully convicted of murder, a judge has denied a bid for a new trial saying, essentially, that the request comes 24 years too late.

    Twenty-four years is how long Lamar Johnson has been trapped in prison for what even prosecutors say is a murder he didn’t commit.

    As Injustice Watch reports:

    In denying the motion, 22nd Circuit Judge Elizabeth Hogan said in her ruling that the request to vacate Lamar Johnson’s 1995 murder conviction was 24 years too late. Missouri laws do not allow her to review such claims, she found.

    Judge Hogan also raised concerns about whether prosecutors and Johnson’s lawyers had stepped over the line in pressing for his freedom, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. However, she said that in any case, her court now has no power to vacate his conviction.

    …………………

    How THE PHUCK do you STEP OVER THE LINE TRYING TO SET SOMEONE FREE FOR A CRIME THEY DIDN’T COMMIT?

    In critiquing Hogan’s decision Friday, Lindsay Runnels, one of Johnson’s lawyers noted to Injustice Watch: “Not a single word addresses the clear, convincing, and overwhelming evidence that Mr. Johnson is innocent.”

    St Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner, whose office filed court papers detailing what it said was a wealth of evidence that prosecutors and police in Johnson’s 1994 case had lied, also plans to appeal Hogan’s decision, Injustice Watch reports.

    Reply
  6. rikyrah says:
    August 27, 2019 at 9:39 am

    The man had on underwear. Didn’t know that the average robber now works in their underwear. If I’m a cop and someone comes down in their DRAWERS, my first thought isn’t that this is a robber….but, that this is someone WHO PHUCKING LIVES THERE…

    Lips pursed.

    #AtHomeWhileBlack: Police Drag Black North Carolina Homeowner From His Own House After False Alarm

    Dara Sharif
    Yesterday 9:00pm

    A North Carolina man says he was humiliated and thought he was going to be killed when police dragged him out of his house wearing only his boxers after his home security alarm was tripped accidentally.

    “This was one of the most humiliating experiences of my life,” Kazeem Oyeneyin of Raleigh, N.C., told WTVD.

    Oyeneyin, a club and party promoter known as “Tim Boss,” told the station he had just deactivated the alarm and was trying to return to sleep about noon Aug. 17, when cops arrived, demanding that whoever was inside show himself.

    Oyeneyin went downstairs to investigate all the ruckus—armed with the gun he is licensed to carry—and was confronted by police who demanded to know what he was doing in his own the home.

    His front door was unlocked—presumably due to a friend of Oyeneyin, whom he says accidentally tripped the alarm while leaving—and a police officer was entering his home.

    “All I heard was somebody screaming downstairs,” Oyeneyin told the station. “So I grab my firearm because I don’t know what’s going on. And I run down the stairs and it’s a cop.”

    Typically, as WTVD notes, when a home alarm goes off accidentally and police arrive, officers ask the homeowner for ID and then leave. Maybe there’s a fine for wasting cops’ time.

    But that wasn’t what appears to have happened in Oyeneyin’s case. According to surveillance footage from inside his house aired by WTVD, officers don’t ask for ID:

    Reply
  7. rikyrah says:
    August 27, 2019 at 9:35 am

    Black Women Owned the MTV Video Music Awards

    Corey Townsend

    The VMAs are an unseasoned event, but throughout the night, black women continuously proved that we invented music.

    Lizzo Made That Stage Her Bitch
    “My girl Lizzo is 100 percent that bitch,” yelled H-Town hottie Megan Thee Stallion. And she did not lie. When Lizzo hit the stage, she asked the question that many of us have been wondering since the dawn of time: “Why men great ’til they gotta be great?!” I feel once we answer this question we’d be better off as a people. She got on that stage and showed her ass, figuratively and literally, as she performed in front of an inflatable butt. She started out the performance giving us an Olivia Pope moment in a full-length trench and then revealed a yellow swimsuit to presumably show the world that color was invented for black women. “It’s so hard trying to love yourself in a world that doesn’t love you back,” screamed Lizzo. She continued by letting us all know that this was her time to feel good as well because she, like all of us, deserved this feeling.

    ………………………………

    Missy Finally Got Her Flowers
    Once again for the cheap seats, Missy Elliott invented the music video. While the rest of us were in the ’90s, Melissa was sitting pretty in 2057. For over two decades she has consistently delivered hit after hit, paired with eye-catching visuals that have captivated audiences and kept her name relevant way after her debut. When you think creativity in the music industry, Missy is who comes first to mind. She didn’t just deliver hits, she flipped it, dipped it, and reversed it to tell a story that brought her music to life. This Video Vanguard award was long overdue, but still very well-deserved. Missy is the same woman who made a trash bag iconic, and in my opinion, invented the GMail logo with her 1997 “Sock it to Me” outfit. Missy became the first female rapper to receive this prestigious/overdue honor and it was well-deserved. During her performance, she took us on a whimsical, supa dupa fly journey throughout her career and gave us visuals worthy of the Missy brand.

    Reply
  8. rikyrah says:
    August 27, 2019 at 8:18 am

    “Hard head makes a soft behind”
    – –Ancient African American proverb

    https://twitter.com/tackettdc/status/1166283414204493825

    Reply
  9. rikyrah says:
    August 27, 2019 at 8:16 am

    😠😠😠😠

    Sana Saeed (@SanaSaeed) Tweeted:
    An incoming Harvard freshman, a 17 year old Palestinian boy, had his visa cancelled & was deported because US officials searched his phone/laptop & said his friends had social media posts that were critical of the US.

    Yup.

    https://t.co/FUGZNtE132 https://twitter.com/SanaSaeed/status/1166326940292268033?s=17

    Reply
  10. rikyrah says:
    August 27, 2019 at 8:13 am

    I absolutely agree with this. WHO is making money from his actions?😒😒

    Andrew Gillum (@AndrewGillum) Tweeted:
    Somebody is making money from @realDonaldTrump tweeting the markets into panic. We should find out.

    #FollowTheMoney https://t.co/pZ5XuB2lVW https://twitter.com/AndrewGillum/status/1166100046183636992?s=17

    Reply
  11. rikyrah says:
    August 27, 2019 at 8:12 am

    Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) Tweeted:
    “The idea that Trump Doral would even be a finalist so strongly suggests the possibility of corruption that the State Department’s inspector general should investigate the procurement process,” said Walter Shaub
    https://t.co/URTEmvOtMa https://twitter.com/waltshaub/status/1166081578382110720?s=17

    Reply
  12. rikyrah says:
    August 27, 2019 at 8:11 am

    Yes👏👏👏

    Brian Schatz (@brianschatz) Tweeted:
    One underutilized word in today’s political convo is “corruption.” It’s the hosting of international events at Trump properties, the tax giveaway, the healthcare lawsuit. It’s how they change the rules to help Wall Street, polluters, PHRMA. Say it with me. Corruption. https://twitter.com/brianschatz/status/1166098059073179648?s=17

    Reply
  13. rikyrah says:
    August 27, 2019 at 8:10 am

    Tell it, Rev. Barber👏👏

    Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II (@RevDrBarber) Tweeted:
    Some say Trump is nuts, but his racist polices, bad tax & health care policies & extreme judicial picks aren’t haphazard. They are the results of an intentional plan, backed up by his party structure & enablers. https://twitter.com/RevDrBarber/status/1166099319750975488?s=17

    Reply
  14. rikyrah says:
    August 27, 2019 at 8:09 am

    Citizens for Ethics (@CREWcrew) Tweeted:
    A new report from the nonpartisan non-profit CREW shows Trump has more than 2,300 conflicts of interest since he’s taken office—and counting. The conflicts stem from his ties to his businesses, despite his claim he separated from them when he took office. https://t.co/hp5YOoPUnO https://twitter.com/CREWcrew/status/1166100555774799885?s=17

    Reply
  15. rikyrah says:
    August 27, 2019 at 8:07 am

    Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) Tweeted:
    “Warren’s insider-outsider routine is one reason why Democratic operatives and analysts told me—and each other, in private conversations—that they’ve begun to see her as the odds-on favorite to win her party’s nomination.” https://t.co/j8ZNPbt6oD https://twitter.com/mehdirhasan/status/1165953063586357248?s=17

    Reply
  17. rikyrah says:
    August 27, 2019 at 7:41 am

    Rollback of protections for CHILDREN 😠😠😠

    https://twitter.com/allinwithchris/status/1166100505237557248

    Reply
  20. rikyrah says:
    August 27, 2019 at 7:38 am

    😠😠😠😠

    Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) Tweeted:
    The prospect of Trump Doral resort hosting the 2020 G7 Summit raises the very real possibility that a corrupting influence tainted the procurement process. The public deserves a full accounting of the procurement process and an explanation as to why Doral was even considered. https://t.co/zM2EbOiY59 https://twitter.com/waltshaub/status/1166080348578623489?s=17

    Reply
  32. rikyrah says:
    August 27, 2019 at 6:08 am

    Norman Ornstein (@NormOrnstein) Tweeted:
    No agency is more dysfunctional than the Federal Election Commission, despite the efforts of people like @EllenLWeintraub and former commissioner @AnnMRavel to make it work to enforce campaign laws. Now a resignation means it is entirely powerless. Blame Trump & #MoscowMitch https://twitter.com/NormOrnstein/status/1166095182972030976?s=17

    Reply
  33. rikyrah says:
    August 27, 2019 at 6:07 am

    Zerlina Maxwell (@ZerlinaMaxwell) Tweeted:
    The media would hate Serena if she got caught doping.

    That Maria Sharapova is still beloved by the media is peak white woman privilege and it makes me so upset. https://twitter.com/ZerlinaMaxwell/status/1166110834843693057?s=17

    Reply
  35. rikyrah says:
    August 27, 2019 at 6:05 am

    Drew Comments (@sjs856) Tweeted:
    For a black woman to become district attorney, get re-elected, become AG, get re-elected, become a Senator, serve on the intelligence committee, and become a probable candidate to win the presidency she HAS to be OUTSTANDING. Black women don’t get free passes. https://twitter.com/sjs856/status/1166023912934629377?s=17

    Reply
  36. rikyrah says:
    August 27, 2019 at 5:58 am

    Good Morning, Everyone 😏😏😏

    Reply
  37. rikyrah says:
    August 26, 2019 at 1:48 pm

    clap clap clap

    A liberal activist in Portland infiltrated far-right group Patriot Prayer and shot footage of them planning an attack. Now it’s about to be used against them in court.Remarkable story from @alex_zee:
    https://t.co/7hLhlntZIS— Will Sommer (@willsommer) August 26, 2019

    Reply
    • majiir says:
      August 26, 2019 at 5:17 pm

      Sh*t, the American government has a history of supporting terrorism, especially if it can get something it wants by doing it. The U.S. government is the major reason Iran is a theocracy today. Iran was established as a democracy in the 1950s. After the new democratic republic decided to nationalize its oil resources, Britain, Russia, and other nations that had been essentially stealing their oil, got angry. Eisenhower authorized the CIA to overthrow Iran’s government and, it did. The U.S. then installed its hand-picked Islamic leader, and as the old saying goes, the rest is history. The Iranians have good reasons to not trust the U.S, and overthrowing its democratic government is one of them.

      Reply
  48. rikyrah says:
    August 26, 2019 at 7:18 am

    Sibling love 🤗🤗😍😍

    Too cute for words 😪😪

    https://twitter.com/ABC/status/1165792861587218437

    Reply
  49. rikyrah says:
    August 26, 2019 at 7:08 am

    Jim Acosta (@Acosta) Tweeted:
    After initially saying Chinese officials called over the weekend to restart talks about trade, Trump was less specific when pressed by reporters for details on the calls: “I don’t want to talk about calls. We’ve had calls. We’ve had calls at the highest levels.” https://twitter.com/Acosta/status/1165943037912113152?s=17

    Reply
  63. rikyrah says:
    August 26, 2019 at 6:42 am

    And The Tweet Goes On (@lacadri34) Tweeted:
    Many folks take issue with Harris because black women are not typically associated with power. Black women are supposed to provide comfort, not decide your fate even when you’ve placed yourself in such position. Not only are we not your negro we also aren’t your “mammies” either. https://twitter.com/lacadri34/status/1164686589332770817?s=17

    Reply
  65. rikyrah says:
    August 26, 2019 at 6:40 am

    Jennifer Rubin (@JRubinBlogger) Tweeted:
    If Trump were a relative, you’d long ago have staged an intervention. As a country, we need to stage an intervention on Nov. 3, 2020. If not, bolstered by reelection, Trump will do unimaginable damage to our country and to our democracy. https://t.co/UwSXKqkarO https://twitter.com/JRubinBlogger/status/1164985339364204544?s=17

    Reply
    • majiir says:
      August 26, 2019 at 5:35 pm

      Our so-called Dem mayor here in Middle GA does the same thing. He ignores the black and POC females’ murders and is quick to express fake concern about white females from higher socioeconomic groups. A few years ago, a guy named Stephen McDaniel murdered his fellow law school classmate, Lauren Giddings. The mayor had a whole lot to say about finding her killer. Why? Because Giddings was in the same law school class as his daughter. Her murderer lived in the same apartment complex, had stolen a master key that permitted him to enter any apartment in the complex, and he had been spying on her for years. He wanted her, but she didn’t want him, so one night he broke into her apartment, killed her, dismembered her body and distributed the pieces all over the city. Her family had to bury only her torso. The murderer had been interviewed by a local news outlet. Now McDaniel wants to be released from his life sentence. He’s got some d@mn nerve. His mother and father were in court talking about how much the family misses Stephen and all of the family activities he is missing. They have some d@mn nerve, too.

      Reply
  73. rikyrah says:
    August 26, 2019 at 6:35 am

    Yep😠😠😠

    Brian Tyler Cohen (@briantylercohen) Tweeted:
    Obama left him 76 straight months of growth. 76 straight months of growth. He just had to do nothing. That’s it. Just do nothing.

    And he broke it. https://twitter.com/briantylercohen/status/1164943158767001600?s=17

    Reply
  76. rikyrah says:
    August 26, 2019 at 6:31 am

    Dare Obasanjo (@Carnage4Life) Tweeted:
    The biggest surprise in Google finally banning employees from arguing about gun control, abortion and immigrant rights on company message boards while getting paid to work is that it took 20+ years for this obviously bad idea to blow up in their faces.

    https://t.co/tDLg8gly8w https://twitter.com/Carnage4Life/status/1165432248335622146?s=17

    Reply
  77. rikyrah says:
    August 26, 2019 at 2:43 am

    Good Morning, Everyone 😊😊😊

    Reply

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