Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Trump's Pardons Included Doctors, Health Care Execs Convicted Of Fraud
Medscape.com: Trump Pardons A Handful Of Physicians On His Way Out
President Donald J. Trump issued 70 commutations of sentences and 73 pardons on his final day in office, including a handful to physicians who had been convicted of fraud and to a group of former executives of WellCare, a Tampa-based company that provided behavioral health care. The most prominent of the actions involved Salomon Melgen, MD, a West Palm Beach-based ophthalmologist who ran a group of clinics in South Florida. Melgen was convicted on 67 counts of fraud, filing false claims, and falsifying records and sentenced to 17 years in prison in 2018. (Ault, 1/21)
Becker's Hospital Review: Healthcare Execs, Physicians Pardoned By Trump
Healthcare executives convicted of fraud were among the 143 people who received pardons or sentence commutations from former President Donald Trump on Jan. 20, his last day in office. At least 10 of the 143 on the list, made public early Jan. 20, were convicted of defrauding healthcare programs or other crimes involving the healthcare industry. (Ellison, 1/21)
Yahoo Finance: The Doctors Trump Pardoned For Defrauding The Government
Former President Donald Trump included a number of doctors among the 143 people he pardoned before leaving the White House Wednesday. The most recognizable name was that of Salomon Melgen, a Florida-based eye doctor who stood trial with U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) in an unrelated case that was dismissed in January 2018. The senator was accused of accepting bribes in exchange for political favors. (Khemlani, 1/20)
Hartford Courant: Trump Pardons Connecticut Man Convicted In 1998 Health Care Fraud Case
In his final hours in office, Donald Trump pardoned dozens of corrupt politicians and business executives, including a Connecticut man who pleaded guilty in a 1998 health care fraud case. Trump, who left office at noon Wednesday, pardoned Glenn Moss, who in 1998 waived indictment and pleaded guilty to tax and other charges. He admitted conspiring to pay kickbacks to an undercover business to obtain referrals for the company that employed him, Analytical Diagnostics Lab of Brooklyn, N.Y. The tax charge stemmed from Moss claiming an income of $2,227 in 1992, when he earned $498,637. (Green, 1/20)
Tampa Bay Times: Former Wellcare Executives Pardoned By Trump
As part of a flurry of last-minute pardons and commutations, President Donald Trump granted pardons to five former executives of WellCare Health Plans who were convicted in a case involving allegations of defrauding Florida’s Medicaid program. Trump pardoned former WellCare CEO and President Todd Farha, former General Counsel Thaddeus Bereday, former Chief Financial Officer Paul Behrens, former Vice President William Kale and former Vice President Peter Clay. (1/21)
Florida Politics: Last-Minute Pardons Include Florida Health Care Executives, Rappers And More
Florida health care executives convicted of fraud are among the 143 people who received pardons or sentence commutations from President Donald Trump early in his last day in office Wednesday. Shortly after midnight, Trump released a list of pardons and sentence commutations that included full pardons for Todd Farha, William Kale, Thaddeus Bereday, Paul Behrens and Peter Clay, former executives of WellCare Health Care of Tampa, who were convicted in 2013 for Medicaid fraud. (Powers, 1/20)
Becker's ASC: Trump Pardons Former Comprehensive Pain Specialists CEO
Former President Donald Trump pardoned several healthcare executives and physicians Jan. 20, his last day in office. President Trump pardoned 143 individuals on Jan. 20, including former Nashville, Tenn.-based Comprehensive Pain Specialists CEO John Davis, Medpage Today reported Jan. 21. Mr. Davis had the remainder of his 42-month sentence commuted. He was at the head of a $4.6 million kickback scheme. He was convicted in 2019 on a count of conspiracy to defraud and seven counts of violating the Anti-Kickback Statutes. (Oliver, 1/21)
KHN: Trump’s Pardons Included Health Care Execs Behind Massive Frauds
At the last minute, President Donald Trump granted pardons to several individuals convicted in huge Medicare swindles that prosecutors alleged often harmed or endangered elderly and infirm patients while fleecing taxpayers. “These aren’t just technical financial crimes. These were major, major crimes,” said Louis Saccoccio, chief executive officer of the National Health Care Anti-Fraud Association, an advocacy group. (Schulte, 1/22)
NBC News: Full List Of Trump's Last-Minute Pardons And Commuted Sentences
With only hours to go before leaving office, President Donald Trump pardoned 74 people and commuted the sentences of 70 others. Here are some of the most notable names. (Talmazan, Elbaum and Mhaidli, 1/20)
