Let’s forget for a moment about all the issues that divide us as Texans, from guns to abortion to Confederate flags on license plates. Let’s focus on something that nearly all of us can agree to hate – bad spending. … Read More
In a harsh rebuke of the 2013 behavioral health shake-up that thrust mental health care for indigent New Mexicans into disarray, a Santa Fe judge on Friday ruled that the state Human Services Department had denied due process to one … Read More
The following is republished from the Texas Tribune: When Jack Stick became the deputy inspector general of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission in 2012, he saw an opportunity to help investigators beef up their production in bringing potential fraud … Read More
HOUSTON — The leader of the company at the center of Texas’s contracting scandal on Friday defended her firm and explained its recent controversial political donations but declined to provide specifics about the value it gave the state. CEO Irene … Read More
A Rockwall man who the feds say is at the center of one of the largest schemes to bilk Medicaid in history has once again had his trial delayed. Jacques A. Roy’s long-delayed criminal trial was set to begin on … Read More
While a mushrooming scandal complete with state and federal investigations prompted two Texas state agencies to cancel contracts with Austin technology outfit 21CT last month, the state of Texas has not completely cut ties with the company. The Texas secretary … Read More
At the same time that Texas lawmakers are calling for more transparency at the state’s sprawling Health and Human Services Commission, officials there effectively have blocked the flow of public records that could provide answers to questions surrounding an unfolding … Read More
AUSTIN – Months before 21CT landed what is now the most controversial contract in Texas, it had to get approved to be eligible for no-bid state projects, and its effort did not start particularly well. Hindered by a lack of … Read More
AUSTIN — Hours after a Houston state lawmaker called on the company at the center of a no-bid contract scandal to disclose its investors, the CEO said in a blog post it firm has none. Seeking a subtle way to … Read More
The former lobbyist for the Austin tech company whose Medicaid anti-fraud contract is now the subject of criminal investigations is firing back at his former employer, accusing 21CT of trying to intimidate him into silence after he talked to the … Read More
When it comes to reimbursing state employees for education costs, the Texas Department of Transportation is far more generous than other state agencies. After reporting this month that the Texas Health and Human Services Commission paid a top aide’s $97,020 MBA tuition, … Read More
Jan. 21–The trial for a Pullman dentist accused of four counts of Medicaid fraud began late Tuesday afternoon in Latah County. After a lengthy morning spent selecting jurors, attorneys gave their opening statements a little past 2 p.m. in the … Read More
HELENA – A Republican state senator from Billings Wednesday presented a key piece of GOP plans to reform Medicaid and public-assistance programs in Montana: A bill to hire an outside contractor to verify the eligibility of welfare applicants. “If we … Read More
FORT WORTH, Texas (U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Texas) — The owner/operator of a chiropractic clinic in Fort Worth, Texas, was sentenced this morning on a federal felony conviction stemming from her submission of false reimbursement claims to Medicare … Read More
SEATTLE (AP) — A health center that provides services to the poor and minority residents in 10 counties has agreed to pay $3.65 million to settle an investigation by the Washington Attorney General’s Office. The Seattle Times reports (http://is.gd/sS880v ) … Read More
Six Leon County case managemers are facing charges of Medicaid fraud after an investigation by Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi’s office. The six were arrested in connection with more than $170,000 in Medicaid fraud. All of those arrested worked for … Read More
AUSTIN – The widening fallout from a no-bid contract scandal claimed the job of a fourth top state official Friday when Health and Human Services Commission deputy chief of staff Casey Haney said he, too, would resign. Haney, a trusted … Read More
In the latest in a string of high-profile resignations at the Health and Human Services Commission, Casey Haney — who received $97,000 in college tuition against agency policy — quit Friday. Haney, who was deputy chief of staff for Executive … Read More
The assistant to Texas Health and Human Services Commission chief Kyle Janek who received a pre-paid MBA at taxpayer’s expense resigned on Friday. “It is clear that my continued employment is a distraction from the work of you and the 54,000 … Read More
Amid calls for Texas Health and Human Services Executive Commissioner Kyle Janek to resign over a contracting scandal, sources close to Gov.-elect Greg Abbott said Thursday Abbott won’t make a decision about Janek’s future until after the completion of state … Read More
The double-sided city of Texarkana, its residents sometimes quip, has two of everything. There are the mayors: one for the 36,000 people living west of Highway 71 in Texas, another for the 30,000 on the Arkansas side of town. There are the … Read More
AutosJobsReal Estate 45° eNewspaper Subscribe Sign In HOUSTON POLITICS & POLICY HOMELOCALUS & WORLDSPORTSBUSINESSOPINIONARTS & ENTERTAINMENTLIFESTYLEINSIDER HoustonPolitics & PolicyEducationElection 2014HC InvestigationsMost-read StoriesSpecial SectionsObituaries Free Access View You’ve been granted free access to this Houston Chronicle article. AUSTIN – The chief … Read More
One month after she was put on paid administrative leave, Erica Stick has resigned as chief of staff at the Health and Human Services Commission. In December, Stick — the wife of embattled former commission chief counsel Jack Stick — … Read More
Can common sense trump partisan politics? The question is especially apropos these days in Texas, which accounts for about 25 percent of the 4 million Americans who would gain health insurance if their state’s lawmakers expanded Medicaid. The healthcare industry knows … Read More
Veteran state Sen. John Whitmire has called for the resignation of Kyle Janek, the top official at the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, which is now at the center of state and federal investigations for its multimillion-dollar, no-bid deals … Read More
One of the most shameful gaps in the American health care system involves the country’s poorest children. They can’t get basic dental treatment. It’s not that they don’t have insurance—many of them do. The problem is that dentists won’t treat … Read More
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Rita Gorenflo’s 7-year-old son Nathaniel was in severe pain from a sinus infection. But since the boy was covered by Medicaid, she couldn’t immediately find a specialist willing to see him. After days of calling, … Read More
The FBI is now investigating the multimillion-dollar, no-bid deal brokered by officials at the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, whose chief is facing increasing pressure from lawmakers who want answers. And Gov.-elect Greg Abbott has assembled a special “strike … Read More
A Michigan physician involved in a $2.1 million home health care fraud scheme was sentenced today to 15 months in prison. Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Barbara L. McQuade of the … Read More
The mastermind of a more than $700,000 stolen identity tax refund fraud scheme was found guilty by a jury of conspiracy to commit theft of public money, theft of public money and aggravated identity theft, the Department of Justice, the … Read More
Controversial no-bid contracts that resulted in a firing, a resignation, and an apparent criminal investigation into the Texas Health and Human Services Commission have spurred further inquiry from both the governor’s office and the agency’s executive commissioner. Gov.-elect Greg Abbott … Read More
AUSTIN – The director of Texas’ massive state health agency personally pushed lawmakers to approve a $90 million extension of a major contract even after news reports showed the initial deal was awarded without competition and potentially subject to conflicts … Read More
Gov.-elect Greg Abbott announced Wednesday the creation of an independent “strike force” to review the state’s largest health agency, specifically how it awards contracts to private vendors. “In the wake of recent revelations at the Health and Human Services Commission, … Read More
On the eve of the semi-annual campaign finance reporting deadline, Gov.-elect Greg Abbott’s office confirmed he returned a $10,000 campaign contribution from the CEO of the beleaguered company at the center of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission contracting … Read More
The Sunset Commission took its final votes Wednesday on a body of all recommendations, including a 2,300-page rewrite of the health and human services code to align the code to both current practices and recommended changes at its related agencies. … Read More
Gov.-elect Greg Abbott has enlisted two state government veterans to quickly review contracting practices and oversight in Medicaid and social services programs. The incoming GOP chief executive asked former deputy comptroller Billy Hamilton and Agriculture Department financial officer Heather Griffith … Read More
An appellate court sided with the state in dismissing a whistleblower claim by a former government lawyer who alleged that his agency was improperly taking reimbursements from Medicaid recipients. F. Michael McMillen, a lawyer with more than 20 years of … Read More
Gov.-elect Greg Abbott will deploy an independent “strike force” to delve into the state’s beleaguered health agency, whose contracting with an Austin tech company is already the subject of a criminal investigation and inquiry by the state auditor. “In the … Read More
January 13, 2015 — Over the past 10 years, Medicaid reimbursement rates for pediatric dental services have not kept up with inflation, but private insurance rates in most states have seen inflation-related adjustments, according to a new report from the … Read More
Texas Health and Human Services Executive Commissioner Kyle Janek today announced that he’s assembling a team of experts to help strengthen oversight and monitoring of contracts. “The primary way we deliver services across our agencies is through contracts, and it … Read More
