I am writing in response to your letter from May 19.
My concern started on August 9, 2016. I went to the Emergency Room with a swollen foot. During the intake interview in the examination room, I was asked by the nurse about insurance. I told her I did not have insurance. She mentioned Medicaid, to which I told her I had been determined ineligible in April. She confirmed this on the DHS/Medicaid website.
Shortly thereafter, Alexis Lobdell from the financial counseling office came in telling me she was there to do a Medicaid application. I told her that I was not eligible & I would call DHS the next day. When I refused her assistance she should have left the room. She became pushy & disrespectful. She told me that she knew how to do these applications; to which I stated I had been doing them for 17 years. She then told me that I may not understand how to fill out an application & that the next day I may be confused on what I had done. I told her that I would handle it the next day.
She then said she needed to do some things on the computer. Without my knowledge or permission, she filed an application. She later told her supervisor that she thought I had given my permission.
Even IF she thought she had my permission, she did a few things that were illegal & unprofessional:
1) She made up a user name without asking me
2) She made up a password, again without asking me
3) She said only 1 resident in the household; when there were 4
4) Said I did not provide for the care of any minor children under the age of 19. I had been helping financially for my 2 granddaughters, at the time almost 15 months.
5) She did not list herself as a 3rd party filing the application
6) She did not have me review the paragraph indicating that UNDER PENALTY OF PERJURY; I confirmed all information to be true to the best of my knowledge; which it was not.
7) She electronically signed my name.
You state that I am working with DHS regarding the application process. In reality I have filed a Medicaid fraud complaint against Ms Lobdell. A Washtenaw County DHS employee also filed a complaint. It is currently in the queue for investigation. She could be charged with felony Medicaid fraud.
You indicated that I need to contact LARA & KEPRO. Since Ms Lobdell is not licensed, LARA can’t do anything. Since I do not receive Medicare, KEPRO can’t do anything.
You indicated that taking this to the media was unacceptable. I have contacted Channels 2, 4 & 7. I also contacted Ann Arbor News, Detroit News & Detroit Free Press. I have posted a review on Yelp & will be posting on rip-off-report.com
I talked to a person from the financial office who was trying to “help” me to be seen:
1) Pay out of pocket for the 2 upcoming surgeries, each of which would run $2,000- $3,000
2) Allow UM to bill Medicaid & then if I was not eligible, UM would return the money. When I explained that by doing that; if I knowingly allowed Medicaid to be billed & it turns out I am not eligible, I could face Medicaid fraud charges. The response was “We are willing to take that chance.”
Later, while talking to a security officer, he told me that if the Office of Clinical Safety determined that a crime had not been committed, then no crime had been committed. We will leave that up to Medicaid & the prosecutors.
Please, don’t lie & tell me you understand I am in a difficult situation. I am in this situation because an employee filed an illegal application that you now tell me I have to fix before you can submit a Michigan Foundation application.
University Health Service Reviews
Office of Clinical Safety
Division of Public Safety & Security
Office of the General Counsel
300 N Ingalls, Room8A06
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-5478
Ms Anderson:
I am writing in response to your letter from May 19.
My concern started on August 9, 2016. I went to the Emergency Room with a swollen foot. During the intake interview in the examination room, I was asked by the nurse about insurance. I told her I did not have insurance. She mentioned Medicaid, to which I told her I had been determined ineligible in April. She confirmed this on the DHS/Medicaid website.
Shortly thereafter, Alexis Lobdell from the financial counseling office came in telling me she was there to do a Medicaid application. I told her that I was not eligible & I would call DHS the next day. When I refused her assistance she should have left the room. She became pushy & disrespectful. She told me that she knew how to do these applications; to which I stated I had been doing them for 17 years. She then told me that I may not understand how to fill out an application & that the next day I may be confused on what I had done. I told her that I would handle it the next day.
She then said she needed to do some things on the computer. Without my knowledge or permission, she filed an application. She later told her supervisor that she thought I had given my permission.
Even IF she thought she had my permission, she did a few things that were illegal & unprofessional:
1) She made up a user name without asking me
2) She made up a password, again without asking me
3) She said only 1 resident in the household; when there were 4
4) Said I did not provide for the care of any minor children under the age of 19. I had been helping financially for my 2 granddaughters, at the time almost 15 months.
5) She did not list herself as a 3rd party filing the application
6) She did not have me review the paragraph indicating that UNDER PENALTY OF PERJURY; I confirmed all information to be true to the best of my knowledge; which it was not.
7) She electronically signed my name.
You state that I am working with DHS regarding the application process. In reality I have filed a Medicaid fraud complaint against Ms Lobdell. A Washtenaw County DHS employee also filed a complaint. It is currently in the queue for investigation. She could be charged with felony Medicaid fraud.
You indicated that I need to contact LARA & KEPRO. Since Ms Lobdell is not licensed, LARA can’t do anything. Since I do not receive Medicare, KEPRO can’t do anything.
You indicated that taking this to the media was unacceptable. I have contacted Channels 2, 4 & 7. I also contacted Ann Arbor News, Detroit News & Detroit Free Press. I have posted a review on Yelp & will be posting on rip-off-report.com
I talked to a person from the financial office who was trying to “help” me to be seen:
1) Pay out of pocket for the 2 upcoming surgeries, each of which would run $2,000- $3,000
2) Allow UM to bill Medicaid & then if I was not eligible, UM would return the money. When I explained that by doing that; if I knowingly allowed Medicaid to be billed & it turns out I am not eligible, I could face Medicaid fraud charges. The response was “We are willing to take that chance.”
Later, while talking to a security officer, he told me that if the Office of Clinical Safety determined that a crime had not been committed, then no crime had been committed. We will leave that up to Medicaid & the prosecutors.
Please, don’t lie & tell me you understand I am in a difficult situation. I am in this situation because an employee filed an illegal application that you now tell me I have to fix before you can submit a Michigan Foundation application.