Hospitals used homeless people to make money
By SHAYA TAYEFE MOHAJER
LOS ANGELES
Aug. 7: A hospital CEO was arrested on Wednesday in what authorities said was a scheme to recruit homeless people as phony patients and bill government programmes for millions of dollars in unnecessary health services.
Federal agents raided three medical centres and the city of Los Angeles sued the hospitals, saying they used homeless people as "human pawns." More charges are expected, a federal prosecutor said.
Hospitals in Los Angeles and Orange counties submitted phony medicare and medical bills for hundreds, perhaps thousands, of homeless patients, recruited from central Skid Row, state and federal authorities allege.
While treating minor problems that did not require hospitalisation, such as dehydration, exhaustion or yeast infections, the hospitals allegedly kept homeless patients in beds for as long as three days and charged the government for the stays. —AP
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Sarkozy not going to meet Dalai
Paris, Aug. 7: French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s office says he will not meet with the Dalai Lama when the Tibetan spiritual leader visits France next week.
Mr Sarkozy’s office says in Thursday’s statement that the Dalai Lama did not ask to meet with the President during his 11-day visit to France. Mr Sarkozy threatened to boycott the opening of the Beijing Olympics because of China’s crackdown in Tibet earlier in 2008.
He later agreed to attend this Friday’s opening ceremony during a brief visit to China. Critics have accused Mr Sarkozy of compromising French values of human rights.
—AP