Planned Parenthood fined for overbilling

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The story is at http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=31063

The state of Washington has ordered a Planned Parenthood affiliate in Spokane to reimburse about $700,000 for overbilling Medicaid.

The news is the latest in a series of events that have revealed unscrupulous and/or illegal practices in clinics of the country's No. 1 abortion provider.

The report -- released by the pro-life weblog Abortion in Washington (AIW) and based on an audit by the state's Department of Social and Health Services -- showed Planned Parenthood of Inland Washington billed Medicaid for oral contraceptives without prescriptions or with invalid ones; overbilled for condoms; billed Medicaid for post-abortion antibiotics under family planning, which is banned; billed office visits to receive a prescription or an injection as a consultation with a physician, which costs more; and billed for pregnancy tests on women when they were unnecessary.

Planned Parenthood was told to pay back $630,000 plus interest, according to the Aug. 9 AIW report.

The audit of Planned Parenthood, which occurred from 2004 to 2007, was reported by the Spokane Spokesman-Review in May.

 

[Nonsequitur]

The story is at http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=31063

The state of Washington has ordered a Planned Parenthood affiliate in Spokane to reimburse about $700,000 for overbilling Medicaid.

The news is the latest in a series of events that have revealed unscrupulous and/or illegal practices in clinics of the country's No. 1 abortion provider.

The report -- released by the pro-life weblog Abortion in Washington (AIW) and based on an audit by the state's Department of Social and Health Services -- showed Planned Parenthood of Inland Washington billed Medicaid for oral contraceptives without prescriptions or with invalid ones; overbilled for condoms; billed Medicaid for post-abortion antibiotics under family planning, which is banned; billed office visits to receive a prescription or an injection as a consultation with a physician, which costs more; and billed for pregnancy tests on women when they were unnecessary.

Planned Parenthood was told to pay back $630,000 plus interest, according to the Aug. 9 AIW report.

The audit of Planned Parenthood, which occurred from 2004 to 2007, was reported by the Spokane Spokesman-Review in May.

I once asked about an audit (to the local administrater) for the local area I lived in. I was told (by that administrater of that area) that there was no way that an audit could be made since the cost would be prohibitive and that there would be no way that the money could be accounted for because of the huge amounts used in the administration of the area. I then asked why people should be taxed more money to send someplace where there was no accounting for it and that by her own admission did not know even if they needed it. Basically, she wanted more money, to follow money that she had no idea where it was going, (yeah, right) to do something that she didn't even know what the original money was doing.
This was in 1986 during the Texas Sesquincentennial(sp?) Celebration at the San Jacinto Monument. Her name was the Honorable Cathy Whitmire. I got to ask her this question as she ran from the stage when she realized she was not welcome after she supplanted Louise Mandrel (OK, maybe it was the other sister, I forget her name since it has been a long time ago, but I know it wasn't Barbara), I was surprised that I got a response, but it was probably because she was flustered.
My point is, why would anyone want more money for something when they don't even know where the original money that was allocated for the project is going?