(Washington D.C.) Montana's senior Senator Max Baucus, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and Senator Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) listen during the first of three roundtable discussions on health care reform. Baucus is leading the charge to overhaul the nation's health care system. Baucus told committee members. "Our economy is in crisis, and health care reform is the only way we are going to get it back on track. What we hammer out at these roundtables is going to be the cornerstone of the legislation that we pass in coming months." Note the repeated use of the term ‘crisis’ by those crisis-loving Democrats. Note the ‘crisis’ didn’t begin until the Democrats regained control of Congress 3 years ago. I pinpoint the crisis as beginning with the leaked letter Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) wrote about IndyMac, just in time for the 2008 elections. [Photo from Sen. Baucus’ Senate website]On the heels of President Barack Obama’s ABC-sponsored healthcare pitch, the FBI’s investigative skills have uncovered another $100 million dollars in Medicare fraud spanning 5 states. A Dept. of Justice news release said 8 Miami residents have been charged. The release at the FBI website actually names some of those who are charged in Miami. Michel De Jesus Huarte, 38, Ramon Fonseca, 45,Vicente Gonzalez, 38, Alyd Dazza, 45, Monika Blacio, 41, Ricco Dazza, 41, Orlin Tamayo Quinonez, 35, and Juan Carralero, 56, all residents of Miami, were indicted on June 18, 2009, on Medicare and other fraud-related charges.
Concurrently, a DOJ release breaks out charges filed in Michigan against 53 doctors, health care executives and beneficiaries for more than $50 million in alleged false billing in Detroit. No names in that release.
I’ve repeatedly stated the federal government is not capable of sound oversight for healthcare in a nation as large and diversified as ours.
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