A former Houston dentist was formally charged Monday with failing to properly treat a sedated 4-year-old patient who was left with permanent brain damage in what should have been a routine procedure. Bethaniel Jefferson, 40, who lost her license to … Read More
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) – A man is behind bars in Virginia Beach, accused of doing illegal dental procedures in Virginia Beach. Prosecutors say 54-year-old Carlos Vargas has been on the run for the last two years. He was wanted … Read More
Molina Healthcare, a health insurer that specializes in the Obamacare and Medicaid healthcare programs for low-income and poor people, plans to cut about 1,400 jobs in the next few months, according to an internal company memo reviewed by Reuters. Molina’s … Read More
In an attempt to adapt to significant budget cuts, the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services is proposing to reduce reimbursements to doctors and others who treat patients on Medicaid by nearly 3.5 percent. Providers say that cut … Read More
Medicare is the federal health-insurance program for people 65 or older and certain people with disabilities. Beneficiaries love the program and depend on it, and so do a large and unknown number of criminals and scam artists. Earlier this month, … Read More
WASHINGTON – Now that Senate Republicans have failed in their attempt to repeal and replace Obamacare and cut Medicaid, House Republicans are pushing a budget that aims to do all that and then some. Their budget proposal partially privatizes Medicare … Read More
The Senate health care bill (the Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017) would fundamentally reform federal Medicaid payment. As Washington Post columnist George Will has written, the bill’s Medicaid provisions, as crafted by Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Penn., “makes it this century’s … Read More
July 19, 2017 — The Massachusetts Division of Insurance (DOI) has approved a new low-cost preferred provider organization (PPO) plan from Delta Dental of Massachusetts, despite concerns from the state’s dental society. In response, the Massachusetts Dental Society has petitioned for a … Read More
The body of a teenage girl found in a Texas park is the stepdaughter of a doctor recently charged in at least seven overdose deaths, police said. The medical examiner identified a body found floating in a creek at Blair … Read More
An Austin dentist whose 14-month-old patient died after being put under anesthesia in 2016 is suing multiple national media outlets and broadcast personalities, including Nancy Grace, over their reports of the case. In the lawsuit filed Tuesday in Travis County … Read More
July 17, 2017 — MCNA Dental has signed a contract with the Arkansas Department of Human Services to serve as a dental benefits manager for the state’s Medicaid program and the Children’s Health Insurance Program. The contract takes effect in January 2018. MCNA … Read More
Texas policymakers are once again demonstrating their contempt for reproductive health care, the health care providers who offer those services, and the women who rely on them. The state has spent years crippling a once-successful program supporting family planning and … Read More
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — The largest assisted-living facility for Medicaid recipients in Texas is voluntarily shuttering after years of budget deficits and as residential developers clamor for real estate in the nation’s seventh fastest-growing city, the owner confirmed Friday. … Read More
Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Tom Price, M.D., announced today the largest ever health care fraud enforcement action by the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, involving 412 charged defendants across 41 federal districts, … Read More
Two Austin psychologists and a Cedar Park patient recruiter are facing criminal charges after federal investigators accused them of a Medicaid kickback scheme involving children who had been removed from their homes by the Texas Department of Family and Protective … Read More
GRAPEVINE, TEXAS – U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions argued the country should renew its war on drugs after revealing that more people than ever are dying from both illegal and prescription drug abuse. “Based on preliminary data, nearly 60,000 Americans … Read More
Last December, when the state’s Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) implemented a staggering $350 million cut to Medicaid reimbursements for much needed physical, occupational and speech therapy, it had a devastating impact on our state’s most vulnerable populations. It … Read More
AUSTIN, Texas – Apollo and his brother, Oliver, were excited about their upcoming trip to the nation’s capital. While they savored the anticipation, their parents, Kate and Bob Howell, got ready to speak with lawmakers on behalf of Medicaid, a … Read More
A medical biller in the Detroit area was sentenced June 30 to 50 months in prison for her role in a $7.3 million healthcare fraud scheme, according to the Department of Justice. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District … Read More
A 42-year-old former Goliad woman has admitted to posing as a nurse, U.S. Attorney Abe Martinez said in a press release issued Thursday. Leticia Gallarzo pleaded guilty to five counts of making false statements relating to health care in federal … Read More
AUSTIN, Texas — Texas’ attorney general disclosed Wednesday that a Washington-based conservative group is helping pay his legal defense on criminal securities fraud charges, the first such national group to offer financial support. But Republican Ken Paxton would not divulge … Read More
Texas rejected billions in federal aid to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, calling the program “broken.” But now it’s asking the Trump administration to renew a deal that’s brought the state an additional $6.2 billion a year under … Read More
Texas nursing homes beware: The state’s tolerance for mistakes is dropping fast. In September, a new state law takes effect that will make it more difficult for long-term care facilities cited for repeat violations to avoid hefty fines from regulators. … Read More
More than four years after accusing Southwest Counseling Center of overbilling the state by $2.8 million in Medicaid reimbursements, the New Mexico Human Services Department has settled with the former Las Cruces behavioral health provider for a sliver of that … Read More
Stacey English has modest desires for her 7-year-old daughter Addison: Be able to eat without gagging and move both her arms. But since Addison’s occupational therapist went out of business this winter, the child with a rare genetic disorder has regressed in … Read More
Hospitals, doctors and nursing homes have one last chance to shape a Republican bill to repeal and replace Obamacare they say will hurt millions of old, poor and sick Americans — and their own bottom lines. After being on the … Read More
WHITE PLAINS – A registered nurse from Yonkers was arrested and indicted Monday for allegedly submitting more than $390,000 in claims for services to two severely disabled patients that he did not provide. Attorney General Eric Schneiderman says over the course … Read More
Texas rejected billions in federal aid to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, calling the program “broken.” But now it’s asking the Trump administration to renew a deal that’s brought the state an additional $6.2 billion a year under … Read More
A Guysville woman pleaded guilty Thursday in U.S. District Court to health-care fraud and willful failure to pay over-tax, according to a news release from the office of Benjamin C. Glassman, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio. Cheryl … Read More
The day after the Senate’s draft health bill was released, supporters looked to defend a key component of the bill: cuts to Medicaid. Republican lawmakers will need to answer to its beneficiaries, who’ve grown dependent on this program for coverage. … Read More
Insurance companies are a powerful voice in virtually any congressional debate over health care. In the case of the Senate health-care bill, some insurers didn’t even wait for the official release before expressing their concerns. This week, the heads of … Read More
WASHINGTON (NBC) – Capitol Hill police arrested 43 disability rights activists who staged a protest outside of Senator Mitch McConnell’s office. Protestors filled the hallway in the Russell Senate office building. The sit-in was organized by the Arc, which advocates … Read More
Article originally written May 30, 2017 by Tony Edwards, DrBicuspid.com Editor in Chief May 30, 2017 — Almost 7% of dentists in the U.S. are associated with dental service/support organizations (DSOs), according to a recent ADA Health Policy Institute report. … Read More
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Roosevelt Granderson II, an Austin police officer, was arrested early Wednesday morning at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on charges connected to a scheme to collect more than $258,000 in benefits that he, his wife and mother-in-law were not … Read More
The Senate’s health care bill would result in many disturbing consequences, including an estimated 23 million people losing their health insurance coverage by 2026 and increased premiums and other out-of-pocket costs. An estimated more than 2.5 million Texas would lose … Read More
Originally published June 16, 2017 By Theresa Pablos, DrBicuspid.com associate editor June 16, 2017 — Patients appear dissatisfied with the dental service/support organization (DSO) experience, according to the results from a new survey. Those who received services from DSOs ranked their customer experience … Read More
As Republicans debate health care reform, there is one issue on the mind of many Texas families: Medicaid reform. Despite years of sleepless nights, emergency room trips and long stares into the financial abyss, Kate Robinson-Howell and Bob Howell of … Read More
A Fifth Circuit panel on Monday affirmed a lower court’s decision that it is unconstitutional to prevent dentists from advertising as specialists in areas not recognized as specialties by the American Dental Association, saying the advertising is protected by the … Read More
The owner of a home health agency in Dallas has been sentenced to 17 years in prison for his role in the nation’s largest home health care fraud scheme in history—a nearly $400 million scam, the Justice Department announced Tuesday. … Read More
Senate Republicans may provide higher federal funding to states with low Medicaid costs in their health care bill. The proposal under consideration gets to the heart of a key sticking point in the ongoing GOP discussions to overhaul the U.S. … Read More
