He was greedy for medical benefits and the property after his death must pay off debts

He was greedy for medical benefits and his property after his death must be repaid for debts. Correspondent Chen Cihui reported in Los Angeles The government budget is stretched thin, and the New York State government has launched two waves of large-scale measures since the end of last year...

Reporter Chen Cihui reports from Los Angeles

The government budget is stretched thin, and the New York State government has launched two waves of large-scale federal Medicaid (Medicaid) fraud investigations since the end of last year. Is trouble coming to diverse Los Angeles? Sandi Gibbons, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Prosecutor's Office, said that detecting various fraud cases has long been a priority of the unit, including federal Medicaid fraud, but Los Angeles County has not launched a special federal Medicaid fraud investigation program like New York State. However, there are many cases where Chinese Americans "pretend to be poor" in order to get cheaper medical benefits, and end up losing more than they gain, or the property after their death has to give priority to paying off medical debts. This is a warning for Chinese Americans to learn from. Gibson said that federal Medicaid fraud cases are usually investigated based on reports or proactive investigations. There are not a few federal health care fraud cases investigated every year, and considerable government Medicaid funds are recovered. The New York Times reported that due to the economic recession and a large number of employers reducing the health insurance benefits provided by their companies, the number of applicants for Medicaid programs in many states has surged rapidly. In the past year or so, the number of people receiving Medicaid benefits has increased by 5% to 10% in many states. Insurance broker Zhang Guoxing said that although relevant departments in California have not yet taken the initiative to investigate cases of Medicaid fraud, according to statistics from the California Department of Insurance, the average cost of insurance claims or subsidies fraudulently claimed by various fraud cases last year was as high as 875 yuan for each California taxpayer. With the government deficit budget gap getting wider and wider, it is indeed necessary to strengthen monitoring of the abuse or fraudulent use of social welfare. Insurance broker Pei Kewen said that since the founding of the United States in 1776, the United States has established a tax system and provided well-intentioned social welfare systems for low-income or disadvantaged groups. However, some speculators hide their property, pretend to be poor, and fraudulently receive medical and social welfare benefits. However, fraudulent welfare can only defraud for a while, not forever. Although applicants for the red, blue and white card (Medi-Medi) are also limited to low-income people, those who own a real estate are allowed to apply. Mr. Wang, who lives in Monterey Park, immigrated to Los Angeles 15 years ago. After being introduced by a friend at the senior center, he hired an agency to apply for a red, blue, and white card. He lived in a luxury house but received medical subsidies at no cost. As a result, after the old man passed away, the first real estate in his name had to pay off his medical debt. The elderly couple named Zhang, who lives in a rental house in San Gabriel, has a low income and limited bank savings. Their application for MediCal at the beginning of this year was rejected. The reason is that real estate prices in the United States have declined in recent years, and relatives and friends in mainland China want to buy a house in Los Angeles. Last year, they remitted US$280,000 from China to Mr. Zhang's bank account, bought a townhouse in Hagang in Mr. Zhang's name, and then transferred the title to relatives and friends in mainland China. Mr. Zhang, who does not actually own real estate, is disqualified from applying for a California White Card because of his home purchase record. Pei Kewen said that the red, blue, and white card or white card (Medicaid) is designed to help take care of the health of the poor. According to regulations, the real estate and medical debts of the red, blue, and white card holder within the 30 months before his death have first priority. White card applicants cannot own any real estate in their name within 30 months before application. Tan Junlong, vice chairman of the Chinese Association of Luo Province, who is a lawyer himself, said that fraudulently receiving federal medical subsidies violates the criminal law. In mild cases, the subsidy will be repaid, and in serious cases, he may even be imprisoned. Those who are found to have fraudulently received medical subsidies are best to cooperate with the administrative procedures and repay the subsidy as soon as possible.