Related: Why the Nation Doesn't Need Massachusetts Health Care
"MassHealth's pricey toilet seats
MASSHEALTH, the state agency that administers healthcare services for low-income residents, didn't go so far as to pay $600 for a toilet seat, as the Department of Defense has infamously done. MassHealth gets the job done for about $60. But that's still grossly inflated, according to a recent report by state Auditor Joseph DeNucci. The state's fiscal health, as well as that of its poorest residents, requires close attention by MassHealth, especially given the state's looming budget deficit.
For the 12-month period ending in June 2007, the state paid about $12 million in excessive or questionable reimbursements for medical equipment, according to the auditor. These include $4.9 million in potentially fraudulent payments to medical suppliers, along with lost savings opportunities of roughly $7 million....
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MassHealth pays $60.76 for a raised toilet seat while New York pays $20.99. Other purchases are even harder to explain. MassHealth pays vendors $30.81 for 50 blood glucose tests or reagent strips. But the same product retails in local drugstores for $21.94. Taxpayers also pay Medicaid vendors 72 cents per ounce for lubricant. The same product costs 27 cents per ounce at the corner store, according to the state auditor's report.
MassHealth needs to gain control over its slippery vendors.You mean, LOOTERS, right, Globe?
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Here is something for you to watch, readers: Sicko
