MEDICAID NEEDS ACCOUNTABILITY

Medicaid is, without question, a noble program.

Any civilized society should help its citizens obtain basic human
needs, and access to quality health care tops the list.

Sadly, that good idea has had some bad results.

Medicaid paid about $12.2 million for prescription drugs last fiscal
year in Cherokee County, and Sheriff Keith Lovin believes more than
half of that was obtained fraudulently, contributing to 29
prescription drug overdoses in the last five years.

Law enforcement, conscientious doctors and the Department of Social
Services are working to fight the fraud, but there is a major flaw in
the program. Officials say even after a person is arrested, convicted
and sentenced for Medicaid fraud, if they are still eligible there is
nothing they can do to stop the abuser from getting Medicaid - that's
taxpayers - to pay for their drugs again and repeating the downward
spiral. The rules "inadvertently reward bad behavior," as county
social services investigator Cathy Hurt put it. This violates all
tenets of common sense. In a country linked by computers and Social
Security numbers, it shouldn't be too hard to red-flag offenders and
make sure they don't get a carte blanche "blue card" for whatever
medications they want. Doctors and pharmacies would have to play a
part, but the push for accountability must be led by Medicaid at the
state and federal levels.

Taxpayers - as well as drug abusers who need help - need to know
there's a better way.