Officials have failed to halt pervasive fraud in the hospice industry despite promises of reforms five years ago after learning of widespread corruption that targeted vulnerable patients.
California authorities promised to crack down after a Times investigation in late 2020 revealed that a cohort of mostly older Americans was being targeted by unscrupulous providers who would bill Medicare for hospice services and equipment for patients who they said were terminally ill, but who were in fact not dying. …
One of California’s first moves was to put a moratorium on issuing new hospice licenses to give officials time to strengthen oversight.
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But years later, those regulations have still not been enacted.
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In reality, patients who unknowingly enrolled in hospice discovered they couldn’t get any curative care, meaning access to certain medications and life-sustaining treatments like dialysis was immediately cut off.
State Assemblymember Alexandra M. Macedo (R-Tulare) questioned the repeated delays in getting the problem under control, pointing to previous reporting from The Times that showed that a lack of oversight gave fraudsters the opportunity to cash in.
“Delays only hurt vulnerable patients and their families, foster fraud and cause problems for legitimate operators that provide essential services, especially in rural and disadvantaged communities,” she said.
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Elected in 2024, Assemblywoman Alexandra M. Macedo represents the 33rd District, which includes Tulare, Kings and Fresno Counties
