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Street Hawker: Dentists Who Scam Medicaid "Know it's Illegal"
By
Sabrina Jaszi
Published Mar 30, 2010
Modified Mar 30, 2010
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By
Sabrina Jaszi
Published Mar 30, 2010
Modified Mar 30, 2010
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Reporters at the Post have uncovered yet another incidence of a potential Medicaid scam in which Harlem hustlers herd patients to dental offices, offering them small cash payments to get teeth cleanings or denture work. This time a 27-year-old street seller named Jose, who works with crew of five to seven others was ready, even eager, to chat. "I know this is a multimillion-dollar thing we're doing out here, and it's bad," he said. "Yes, [the dentists] know it's illegal. They don't care. They bill [Medicaid] $300 to $350 [for each person].
"Dentist, dentist, dentist! Get paid to go to the dentist!" he yelled to passersby on 123rd Street near Third Avenue. Part of the reason Jose, a shelter dweller, wanted to talk may have been that he sometimes makes just $50 a day. But since he has a criminal record, he claims to have few other options. "I'm not planning to do this anymore," he said. "I know this is a federal offense, a felony, and I don't want to get locked up." He added a shout-out to President Obama: "It's hurting Medicaid, especially with all this health-care stuff going on," he said.
After yesterday's expose of two clinics using the fraudulent technique, a spokeswoman for the government program promised to "follow up," saying that Medicaid took the new information "seriously."
Tagged
bronx
dentist
harlem
health care
health insurance
medicaid
medicaid fraud
obama
scam
Sabrina Jaszi
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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