California realizes too late that its ObamaCare enrollment counselors might facilitate fraud-AP

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$910 million US taxpayer dollars have been shipped to California just to be spent on "outreach" and signing people up for ObamaCare via Covered California.

7/14/13, "Fraud fear raised in California's health exchange," AP, via thereporter.com

"As California prepares to launch its health care exchange, consumer groups are worried the uninsured could fall victim to fraud, identity theft or other crimes at the hands of some of the very people who are supposed to help them enroll.

The exchange, known as Covered California, recently adopted rules for a network of more than 21,000 enrollment counselors who will provide consumers with in-person assistance as part of the federal Affordable Care Act. In some cases, they will have access to personal and financial information, from ID cards to medical histories.

But the state insurance commissioner and anti-fraud groups say the exchange is falling short in ensuring that the people hired as counselors are adequately screened and monitored.

Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones also said the exchange does not have a plan for investigating any complaints that might arise once the counselors start work. That means consumers who might fall prey to bogus health care products, identity theft and other abuses will have a hard time seeking justice if unscrupulous counselors get hold of their Social Security number, bank accounts, health records or other private information, he said.

"We can have a real disaster on our hands," Jones, a Democrat, said in an interview.

His department regulates more than 300,000 insurance agents and brokers statewide.

Starting Oct. 1, the state is embarking on an ambitious effort to enroll an estimated 5.3 million Californians who lack health insurance, about half of whom will be eligible for tax credit subsidies....

According to a national survey by Javelin Strategy & Research, 12.6 million, or 5.3 percent, of adults fall victim to identity theft each year. That translates to about 1.6 million California victims each year.

Currently, Covered California's rules do not specify what offenses would disqualify an applicant for a counseling position. Lucero said the exchange is still reviewing its procedures and could follow other state employment guidelines....

Covered California is expected to begin training and certifying enrollment counselors in August.

They will be hired indirectly through an estimated 3,600 community organizations ranging from Native American tribes and chambers of commerce to labor unions and faith-based organizations that will be authorized to help people buy insurance.

The exchange will pay an organization $58 for each successful enrollment and $25 for a renewal, but the amount the counselors receive will vary.

Proponents of health reform view the consumer assistance program as an opportunity to enroll hard-to-reach residents, many of whom have just high school educations or less or speak a language other than English at home."...via Mark Levin show

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The GOP doesn't exist, doesn't care, so why not?

6/18/13, "Using ObamaCare To Create A Permanent Democratic Majority," Betsey McCaughey, Investors.com

"The Obama administration granted a whopping $910 million to California to set up its insurance exchange. That money is not for bandages, surgery, nurses and doctors to care for the sick. Nor is it for insurance plans, though $910 million could buy generous coverage for at least 113,000 people!

Shockingly, the $910 million is slated for bureaucracy, including rich compensation packages for exchange employees ($360,000 a year for the executive director) and contracts for computer equipment, public relations and "outreach."

Outreach is the largest expenditure and where the real monkey business occurs.

Amazingly, California legislators passed a law that the exchange could keep secret for a year who received the contracts and indefinitely how much they were paid. California's open-records laws would otherwise prohibit such secrecy."....

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Ed. note: Computerization makes fraud automatic. 

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