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4A – Daily News – Friday, February 11, 2011 Opinion Stopping Medicare waste, fraud and abuse D NEWSAILY RED BLUFF TEHAMACOUNTY T H E V O I C E O F T E H A M A C O U N T Y S I N C E 1 8 8 5 Greg Stevens, Publisher gstevens@redbluffdailynews.com Chip Thompson, Editor editor@redbluffdailynews.com Editorial policy The Daily News opinion is expressed in the editorial. The opinions expressed in columns, letters and cartoons are those of the authors and artists. Letter policy The Daily News welcomes let- ters from its readers on timely topics of public interest. All let- ters must be signed and pro- vide the writer’s home street address and home phone num- ber. Anonymous letters, open letters to others, pen names and petition-style letters will not be allowed. Letters should be typed and cannot exceed two double-spaced pages or 500 words. When several letters address the same issue, a cross section of those submit- ted will be considered for publi- cation. Letters will be edited. Letters are published at the discretion of the editor. Mission Statement We believe that a strong com- munity newspaper is essential to a strong community, creating citizens who are better informed and more involved. The Daily News will be the indispensible guide to life and living in Tehama County. We will be the premier provider of local news, information and advertising through our daily newspaper, online edition and other print and Internet vehi- cles. The Daily News will reflect and support the unique identities of Tehama County and its cities; record the history of its com- munities and their people and make a positive difference in the quality of life for the resi- dents and businesses of Tehama County. How to reach us Main office: 527-2151 Classified: 527-2151 Circulation: 527-2151 News tips: 527-2153 Sports: 527-2153 Obituaries: 527-2151 Photo: 527-2153 On the Web www.redbluffdailynews.com Fax Newsroom: 527-9251 Classified: 527-5774 Retail Adv.: 527-5774 Legal Adv.: 527-5774 Business Office: 527-3719 Address 545 Diamond Ave. Red Bluff, CA 96080, or P.O. Box 220 Red Bluff, CA 96080 Did you hear about the case last year of the Houston doctor and medical equipment provider who billed Medicare more than $1 million for wheelchairs and other medical equipment that patients didn’t even want? Sometimes this equipment is delivered to the door of a person who is surprised to see it and can’t get it taken away! What about the home health care agen- cies in Michigan that defrauded Medicare of almost $3 million by billing for home health services that were not needed or were never provided? We all agree these kinds of scams need to be stopped. Waste, fraud, and abuse cost Medicare millions of dollars each year, and these costs are passed on to everyone—benefi- ciaries and taxpayers. There is good news. Recent efforts by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)—the agency that admin- isters Medicare—resulted in the recovery of almost $3 billion for Medicare in 2009. And CMS continues to do more. To build on this success, the Affordable Care Act (the new health care law), provides CMS, the Department of Justice, and other relevant agencies an addi- tional $350 million to hire more investigators to root out waste, fraud, and abuse. This is a good investment that will save Medicare an estimated $5 billion over the next 10 years. The new law goes further. It creates new rules that will help prevent trouble in the first place. Stricter screenings of health care providers, like background checks and site visits, will help ensure that "fraudsters" never become part of Medicare. Any providers that do commit Medicare fraud will face harsher fines and penalties than they did before. You have a part to play, too. Have you or a friend ever been given the same test twice with no good explanation from a doctor? Or been offered free medical sup- plies in exchange for your Medicare number? Sometimes it’s just an honest mis- take—but sometimes something more sinis- ter is going on. One of the most important things you can do is to protect your personal information. Never provide your Medicare number to anyone but your health care providers. If someone offers you free medical supplies or services and then asks for your Medicare number, do not give it to him or her. If what they are offering is free, they do not need your Medicare number. Medicare will never call or visit you to sell you something. If someone calls to sell you any- thing and says he’s from Medicare, tell him no thanks! Then report what happened to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services at 1-800-HHS- TIPS (800-447-8477) or by Guest View Ron Pollack email to HHSTips@oig.hhs.gov. You should also check your Medicare Summary Notices and Explanation of Bene- fits. These are docu- ments you receive from Medicare, your Medicare Advantage plan, or your prescrip- tion drug plan that explain what services or medications you have received. If a service is listed that you did not receive, if the dates listed are wrong, or if you do not recognize the name of the health care provider, contact your health care provider or plan. There may be a simple mistake. But if you need more help, you can contact the volunteers at the Senior Medicare Patrol (www.smpre- source.org or 877-808-2468). Finally, don’t be afraid to report a problem to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Ron Pollack is executive director of Families USA. Your officials STATE ASSEMBLYMAN — Jim Nielsen (R) State Capitol Bldg., Room 6031 Sacramento, CA 95814 (916) 319-2002; Fax (916) 319-2102 STATE SENATOR — Doug LaMalfa (R) State Capitol Bldg., Room 3070 Sacramento, CA 95814 (916) 651-4004; Fax (916) 445-7750 GOVERNOR — Jerry Brown, State Capitol Bldg., Sacramento, CA 95814; (916) 445-2841; Fax (916) 558-3160; E-mail: gover- nor@governor.ca.gov. U.S. REPRESENTATIVE — Wally Herger (R), 2635 Forest Ave. Ste. 100, Chico, CA 95928; 893-8363. U.S.SENATORS — Dianne Feinstein (D), One Post Street, Suite 2450, San Francisco, CA 94104; (415) 393-0707. Fax (415) 393-0710. Barbara Boxer (D), 1700 Montgomery St., Suite 240, San Francisco, CA 94111; (415) 403-0100. Fax (202) 224- 0454. Reader reactions and Bell brouhaha Commentary So many incidents...so little time. Readers of this column, and other articles in this splendid paper, are urged to read the text carefully and be cautious regarding knee jerk reaction to same. Nowhere is this more impor- tant than in the Daily News website. For example, I wrote last Friday of column photos in which C. Barber now includes a photo of her bow wow. In the DN website comments section, P. Gleason texted I should leave her alone and not pick on her, asked if I think I am better than everybody...and concluded my dog Murray Clyde resembles his master. Pat, cool off...and don’t get weepy on me. Carolyn can take care of herself. She has a good sense of humor and can give as good as she gets. And as a purebred, Clyde feels insulted with your comparison. As to my thinking I am better than everybody, the answer is no, not every- body. Also in the DN website, a fellow took me to task for suggesting my pal D. Polson is a jerk. Once again, read carefully. I wrote that some liberals think that Don is a jerk. Conservatives and Tea Partiers think he is a saint. Jeez. However, perhaps we are all guilty of scan- ning the news rather than studying it in detail. J. Hanson admits he was confused when reading a DN article in which popped up this unsettling sentence, “...supervisors authorized the Tehama County Division of Animal Services to receive a $7,500 state grant that will go toward free spay and neuter certificates for 100 low-income county residents.” Mr. Hanson concluded, “While this approach may seem practical and even cost effective, it just does not seem social- ly acceptable today.” Mr. Hanson, I agree with your concern. However, it is my experience that supervisors and even city coucilmen do not easily take advice from the likes of you and me, but hire outside consultants to make findings for them. We can only hope this idea of low-income neu- tering will be quickly discarded. * * * In other matters, we have the Cone & Kim- bal Plaza about as finished as it is going to get. Donations for future improvements are hard to come by in these impoverished times. However, have you noticed that there is nothing onsite indigenous to the original great building? There might be an old brick or two, but for the most part, everything is replicated; the benches, the light posts and the tower itself. The Stice Foun- tain is an original but had been removed from its corner site prior to the great fire that consumed all in its wake...except for the bell. The magnif- icent bell, a 3 to 400 pounder cast in Troy, N.J. in 1886, resides in my office to this very day...a gift from the previous owner of the building. It has been our hopes that it would one day be restored to its rightful location, somewhere beneath the site of original tower. However, there seems to be opposition to this concept from the Rotary Club, owners of the plaza. It may be because of my early remarks regarding the design of the clock tower replica...but I have long since recanted and approve of it...especially as seen from a distance as it hov- ers benignly over our fair city. Be that it may, I have a suggestion that needs reader input, if not to me then to the DN Letters dept. The Masonic Hall donated a lot of money to the installation of the clock and the carillion, and to this we are all grateful. They also installed a plaque in the middle of the floor of the rotunda...in the exact place where I thought the bell should rest, on a pedestal and with a plaque describing what we had for almost a hundred years. Newcomers and visitors have no idea what we lost. So, what I envisioned was a metal support designed in such a way as to support the bell and yet allow viewing of the Masonic plaque below. Those who see the wisdom of this, please contact the Rotary Club and the Masons to see if they would consider such a project. We will worry about paying for it once we get approval from the powers that be. Is that too much to ask? * * * In other news, D. Dubke writes, in the letters to the editor section, of his being “a lover of sci- ence,” and yet disputes Darwin’s Theory of Evolution, for “this world can be studied and understood because it was designed by the One we call God.” And further, “...the thumb print of the Creator is everywhere to be seen.” However, I say that the thumb print of evolution is every- Robert Minch I Say where to be seen. As Mr. Dubke did not identify himself as a Lutheran Minister, it could be construed that his observations and beliefs are biased. One doesn’t get far in the ministry by hawking Charles Darwin from the pulpit. He asked readers to consider the mule which is “as sterile as the concept that a rock can pro- duce life.” True, regarding mules, but rocks show evi- dence of evolution as opposed to divine interven- tion. Minister Dubke asks us to choose between a rock and a “hot” place. Done. * * * Last week’s quiz was eas- ily answered by J. Angelo who knew that ukulele means “jumping flea” in Hawaiian, that the Medal of Honor was won by the father and son teams of Arthur and Douglas MacArthur and the Theodore Roosevelts, Sr. and Jr. and comic strips of Barney Google and Snuffy Smith were created by Billy DeBeck and Fred Laswell, Buz Sawyer by Roy Crane and Beetle Bailey by Mort Walker. This week’s quiz: This week's quiz: Whom did Mark Twain pattern the character of Sid after in Tom Sawyer, and where does the phrase "Grapes of Wrath" appear in the bible? * * * A tough looking biker was riding his Harley when he sees a real beauty about to jump off a bridge. He stops and yells, “What are you doing?” “I’m going to commit suicide.” “Well,” he says, “before you jump, why don’t you give me a kiss?”The would-be jumper does and the biker wipes his mouth and says, “Wow! That’s the best kiss I’ve ever had! Why are you wasting such talent?” “Because my parents don’t like me dressing up like a girl,” the jumper sobs. Robert Minch is a lifelong resident of Red Bluff and former columnist for the Corning Daily Observer and Meat Industry magazine. He can be reached at rminchandmurray@hotmail.com.