Reader comments
Health-care fraud a new temptation

If the couple had been paying the insurance premiums for the coverage but are now convicted of fraud then aren't the insurance companies also guilty of fraud? Shouldn't the insurance companies be required to reimbusrse the fraudlent premiums they have been collecting for 8 years? Insurance fraud works both ways and if one is guilty of fraud so is the other. The couple still living together as 'common law' husband and wife should be considered married and have the benefits of the insurance they had been paying for. The fraud here is the insurance companies collect the premiums with intent to defraud the insured. There must have been some high cost procedures coming up the insurance company didn't want to cover. The couple should turn around and sue the insuracne companies for violating policy and collecting premiums fraudlently. Health care reform needs to give the premium payers more rights to what they are paying for. It's okay for insurers to collect the premiums and pocket the money then deny coverage with multiple disclaimers when claims are submitted, but that isn't fraud? For any health care reform the laws also need to reform insurance companies policies of denial.

Does this mean that I can't let my identical twin, Lanny, use my medical insurance?

I don't want my comments to be misconstrued as supportive of fraud. However, is it fraudulent or unethical for an medication manufacturer to charge $50 for a bottle of medicine in the USA but only $5 in Mexico? I know they have to recover the costs of research but they also get many grants from the federal government in order to research medication in the first place. So, the citizens of the USA subsidize the medication and then pay through the nose to get it. That seems unfair to me. If my taxes go to create the stuff I ought to get a discount if anything.

Dear Bob G.,

How difficult is it to just marry? I'll never get why people just don't do it. It's so easy to get a divorce. As for insurance fraud, it's just plain wrong and you shouldn't do it. I know it costs a lot for medicine. Just one of my drugs costs about $26,000 a year. It is an orphan drug. Not enough people have Multiple Sclerosis to make it worth the time and money it has taken to develop these medications. Without them, I might be an a wheelchair and unable to work fulltime. Thank goodness the government of this country has seen fit have made this medication possible. They give them incentives and longer patents. My medicine is not fun to take and it has no street value, but it has made my quality of life so much better. Yes, I believe people should be able to receive medical benefits, but there must be a better way then stealing.

I'm hardly an authority - I'm still in law school - but I wouldn't hire Bob G as my attorney...

If U.S Attorney Bret Tolman is so concerned about "diverting resources to people that aren't paying for them" why isn't he doing more to stop illegal immigration or welfare fraud by the FLDS?

Is it somehow more criminal to defraud the private sector than the taxpayers?

We wouldn't have this problem if we would just have a national health care system, where everyone could get at a minimum, basic care.

THERE IS A CURE FOR THIS PROBLEM: IT IS CALLED UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE. HEALTHCARE IS A RIGHT, NOT A PRIVILEGE, AND IT TIME AMERICA, THE RICHEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD REALIZED THIS, AND TOOK ACTION. HEALTHCARE IS NOT FOR THE RICH, OR THE EXTREMELY POOR, IT IS FOR ALL AMERICANS, REGARDLESS OF INCOME. AGAIN, PURE AND SIMPLE: IT IS RIGHT!!! 'NUFF SAID!!!

Why should the wealthy employers look after their employees.
They've been blessed - not the worker bees.

Universal Healthcare does not stimulate the innovative medical breakthroughs - by funding everyone who does not contribute - we will further cripple this economy with the liberal lefts agenda that government is needed - and a larger part of our life. We just celebrated the 4th showing that we don't need any government telling us how we should live our lives.. if your so giving - you pay for thier health care - out of your own pocket and stop asking me to pay for it out of mine.

I am as frustrated as anyone with the ripoff drug costs and ripoff insurance companies who only want to cover you if you are already healthy and ripoff doctors that try to diagnose you in 2 minutes and dont fix anything and dont care yet still get paid.
The lack of a central healthcare database which just makes sense yet we are afraid to do it because we know insurance companies will find a way to use it against us.
Yet, I fail to see how health insurance is a right?
Just being born doesnt mean you are entitled to anything and that someone else should take care of you.
In the end, we are really not much different than the beasts in the forest. It is survival of the fittest and the lucky ones that were dealt a better hand. Every person has to take responsiblity for themselves. I hope we all get good health care and that health care improves but it is not a right.

We were all told the truth by Dr. Ron Paul when he said that THE HEALTH INSURANCE COMPANIES drive up the prices of health care costs.