We’ve heard that the Douglas Administration plays the game hard. Gloves off and all that. Still, you expect a certain modicum of honesty and integrity, even from your political adversaries.
This week the Douglas Administration sank below the level of decency we should hold our public officials to.
It all has to do with Medicare Part D, health care, and the health care fight in the Legislature. Some of the people who are now signed up for Medicare Part D are called “dual eligibles”, because they are eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid. They have to be in a drug plan just like everyone else, but Medicaid pays their premium. The Rutland Herald carried a story yesterday about one of the prescription plans and how they got in trouble with the state for billing about 200 people whose premiums had already been paid by Medicaid. In fact, this situation was so bad that the state had to demand that the insurer call everybody immediately to make sure they knew they didn’t have to pay. And they even had to threaten them with Medicaid fraud unless they did it:
“We would like to see a commitment that AARP contact each of these 200 Vermonters, who were understandably incredibly concerned, as are we,” said Heidi Tringe, spokeswoman for the Agency of Human Services. “We would like them to contact them before this has to be turned over to the Medicaid fraud unit.”
And isn’t it outrageous that the culprit here was AARP, that huge nationwide organization that’s supposed to be looking out for our retirees?
Lucky thing the Agendy of Human Services was there to look out for the little guy, huh?
Well, it turns out that it’s not so simple.
First off, did United Health Group (UHG), the prescription plan endorsed by AARP, actually double bill anybody?
No.
Second, how many of the eleven prescription plans sent out the same kind of notice to their beneficiaries that UHG sent?
Several, possibly all of them.
Third, how many of those prescription plans were singled out by the Administration, threatened with fraud charges, and called out in the press?
None.
So why single out the AARP-endorsed plan?
Could it possibly have something to do with the fact that the AARP is pushing for real health care reform, and they’re giving Douglas a hard time about his position?
Well, you tell me.
Oh yeah, and there is one other question:
Why isn’t the press asking these questions?