Kevin Lyons
A study by North Carolina researchers suggests that black men in prison live longer than their black counterparts outside prison, in part because they have better access to health care. The same study indicates imprisoned black men live longer than imprisoned white men.
“Ironically, prisons are often the only provider of medical care accessible by these underserved and vulnerable Americans,” Hung-En Sung, an associate professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, told Reuters Health. Sung was not part of the study.
“Typically,” Sung says, “prison-based care is more comprehensive than what inmates have received prior to their admission.”
The study, led by Dr. David Rosen at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, looked at North Carolina prison records and state death records from 1995 to 2005. Then it examined the cause of death and death rates among 100,000 black and white male prisoners 20 to 79 years old, and compared them with black and white counterparts outside prison.
The researchers’ conclusion: Black inmates were 30 percent to 40 percent less likely to die of cancer and heart and blood vessel diseases as blacks who weren’t behind bars, and they also were less likely to die of diabetes, alcohol- and drug-related ailments, accidents, suicide and murder, according to the study.
For imprisoned white men, the death rate was 12 percent higher than non-imprisoned white men, although when analyzed by age, death rates were higher only for white prisoners 50 and older, according to the study.
Obviously, black men would prefer to take their chances on their health living outside a prison, so the study pointed out that the negative consequences of being behind bars far outweigh the positive consequences.
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Filed under insurance by on Jul 20th, 2011. Comment. 
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Inspector General (OIG) wants your help in nabbing more than 170 people wanted for health insurance fraud. In February 2011, the OIG launched its first “Most Wanted Fugitives” list, which includes photos and case information for the top 10 offenders.
The OIG site also provides a form to anonymously report a fugitive’s whereabouts. However, no reward money is being offered, says Don White, an OIG spokesman at the Department of Health and Human Services.
“We have been looking for these people for quite some time, and all it takes is one phone call to put them behind bars,” White says. “We appreciate all the help we can get.”
For more information about these fugitives, visit http://oig.hhs.gov/fugitives.
Here is a look at the top fugitives and their cases:
Carlos Benitez, 49
Luis Benitez, 44
Jose Benitez, 48
The Benitez brothers submitted false and fraudulent claims to Medicare, bilking the government out of $110 million. The trio owned and operated medical clinics in the Miami area that were supposed to provide treatments to HIV-infected Medicare patients. The brothers paid kickbacks to their “patients,” but investigators later determined the medicine was unnecessary or never even administered. Already, nearly two dozen of the Benitez brothers’ co-conspirators have been charged in this conspiracy.
Clara Guilarte, 56Caridad Guilarte, 54
The Guilartes owned and operated a Dearborn, Mich., medical and rehabilitation center and were able to defraud Medicare out of about $4.3 million. Along with Reynel Betancourt, the Guilartes allegedly recruited “patients” to sign forms indicating they received medical services, although none services were provided. Authorities captured Betancourt on Nov. 30, 2010, in the Dominican Republic.
Susan Bendigo, 40Bendigo was director of nursing for a company that provided nurses for home health agencies. Authorities say that from 2004 to 2007, Bendigo sent unlicensed nurses to treat patients under Medi-Cal, California’s Medicaid program. Medi-Cal requires licensed nurses to work, but Bendigo billed the program for about $17 million, pocketing about $10 million for herself, authorities say.
Leonard Nwafor, 45Nwafor, owner of a durable medical equipment company in Southern California, collected $525,000 in fraudulent claims for equipment that included motorized wheelchairs, scooters, and hospital beds. He was convicted in 2008 of conspiracy and health care fraud, but failed to show up in court for his January 2009 sentencing. In his absence, a judge in March 2010 sentenced Nwafor to nine years in prison. Nwafor remains a fugitive.
Eduardo Moreno, 42Moreno used fake offices to operate medical equipment and HIV drug scams that reaped more than $7 million from false Medicare claims, authorities say. The FBI arrested him in 2007. After he made bail, Moreno did not appear for court hearings.
Steven Moos, 41 (captured)Moos, formerly a general practice physician in Oregon, prescribed drugs and refilled prescriptions without examining patients or viewing their health records. He lost his medical license after he was caught refilling prescription drugs over the Internet. Even after his license was revoked, Moos continued to practice medicine and prescribe drugs, authorities say. A federal indictment charges him with ordering human growth hormones from China.
Authorities finally caught Moos in February 2010 in the United Arab Emirates, where he was arrested and found guilty of impersonating a prominent plastic surgeon and performing surgery in his villa. He was sentenced to two months in prison. U.S. authorities are working with officials in the United Arab Emirates to extradite Moos to face trial in the United States.
–Kevin Lyons
Filed under insurance by on Mar 5th, 2011. Comment.
Health insurance consumers who deposited money into flexible spending accounts (FSAs) in 2010 could wind up wasting up to $400 million in 2011 if they don’t use the funds before an impending deadline, according to a projection from FSAStore.com.
Millions of U.S. workers face a March 15 “use it or lose it” deadline for FSA money they accrued in 2010, FSAStore.com says. Many employers offer that grace period each year so their employees aren’t forced to spend the money within a one-year window that typically closes Dec. 31.
Millions of Americans could be throwing away money if they don’t meet a March 15, 2011, deadline for their spending funds in their flexible spending accounts (FSAs).On average, an FSA participant forfeits $86 in unused funds each year, according to WageWorks Inc., a manager of FSA benefits programs.
Generally, about 80 percent of employers’ health plans allow a grace period. The IRS-approved grace period took effect in 2005.
More than 30 million American consumers — including account holders and family members — are covered by FSAs, which pay for tens of thousands of health care products and services with tax-free dollars. More than 15 million FSAs are active in the United States.
“Millions of dollars are wasted each year simply because consumers do not deplete the funds in their FSAs,” says Jeremy Miller, FSAStore.com’s founder and president.
FSAStore.com based its projection on the average amount of unused money in an FSA account — roughly 2 percent to 4 percent of the total. In 2010, the average FSA contained $1,500. FSAStore.com used the lower 2 percent figure to come up with its projection.
Jody Dietel, chief compliance officer at WageWorks, offers these tips for FSA account holders who are staring at the March 15 spending deadline:
1. Review your health care expenses to be sure you’ve submitted all of your receipts. Often, this simple exercise of getting your paperwork in order depletes the money in your FSA.
2. Make sure you’re up to date on preventive care, tests, dental checkups, vision checkups and immunizations. In some cases, these services already may be fully covered by insurance, “but this is a good place to start,” Dietel says.
3. Take an inventory of health care supplies. For instance, do you need to stock up on contact lenses or contact lens supplies? Keep in mind that as of January 2011, nearly all over-the-counter medication purchases require a prescription before they can be covered by FSA funds. Previously, the federal government allowed all FSA over-the-counter medication purchases without a prescription.
–John Egan
Filed under insurance by on Mar 5th, 2011. Comment.