Two years after government officials stated that state officials announced that the Medicaid fraud scheme signed the legislation to increase sober residential overseas, two years after government officials announced that the Medicaid fraud scheme had sent Indians.
Bill funded by three RepublicansMake changes to state legislation on regulation and licensing of sober live houses. He sets new requirements for the Arizona Health Department, although Novakh’s legislator expressed concern that the bill does not go far enough to resolve the root causes of fraud.
At the end of Friday, the Hobs office announced that the bill, which is supposed to enter into force in the fall, among the dozens she signed into the law. The governor did not explain her decision to sign the legislation, but over the past two years she has been supporting reform To help the authorities “follow the bad actors”.
The admission of the legislation takes place after the PROPULICA and the Arizona Investigation Center, according to Medicaid state officials, have not been able to stop the $ 2 billion scheme for years, despite repeated warnings. According to officials. Meanwhile, many suppliers have overly exposed the state American Indian Health Program, Medicaid insurance, accessible to the tribe, for the treatment they did not carry out.
At least 40 people were killed in sober live homes From the spring of 2022 to the summer of 2024, when the crisis grew, the medical examiner of the Maricop district considered information organizations. The victim fans say they are sure that the paid scheme is much higher. In an interview, the victim’s relatives reported propublica and Azcir that they remained in the dark about the circumstances of the death of their loved ones, including without knowing the names and addresses of institutions where their family members remained because no one reported them.
“I believe that this bill sets the standards,” said the Democrat from Fernic Sesar Agilla, before the vote for this measure. “It will make the business actually help the most vulnerable.”
The League of Cities and Cities of the Arizona, a non -profit organization that delays on behalf of the municipalities and supported this measure, stated that a notable component of the bill includes a “compulsory report” in the Arizona Health Department – besides family members and emergency contacts – if the resident dies or transfer. The Health Department will also be obliged to inform the local authorities if new licenses are issued to the operators of sober live houses, which, according to the league, “increase the transparency and awareness of society.”
According to the bill, the Health Department Director will set standards and requirements for sober live houses to maintain conditions that have no drugs and alcohol, and promoted health and recovery. Healthcare representatives can withdraw or suspend licenses depending on the severity of the violation or fines up to $ 1,000 for each day if the violation is left unattended.
At least, the Health Department will hold annual funds checks and reports to the legislators on the number of complaints that have received licensed or unlicensed facilities, and how much has led to investigations or other implementation.
The bill received two -party support. However, the critics said they did not resort to additional factors that contributed to the fraud scheme: many victims remained in unlicensed objects and, despite the warnings, in Arizona, the Medicaid state agency, slowly realized the sphere of fraud and stopped it.
And only in May 2023 AHCCS and the governor who took over this year announced a major investigation into hundreds of objects and launched a hotline to help the victims who were recruited into fake programs or displaced after AHCCS has been paying the enterprises. Since then, the agency has adopted a number of reforms in response to fraud. In an interview last year, the Deputy Director of AHCCS also acknowledged that the American Indian Health Program has lacking guarantees for fraud.
Proponents of the bill have been advertised this year’s support for tribes.
Reva Stewart, who is the melon and supporter of the victims of this scheme and their families, opposed the bill. She believes that this measure will make it more burdened for licensed objects to help people who seek treatment without stopping unlicensed houses where most of the damage was done. Propublica and Azcir found that as a result of the crisis led the officials’ response to the crisis Native Americans lose access to health care services which they were provided.
Senator Teresa Hotatley, a Democrat from a coal mes on the Navakh Nation, also critically treated the legislation. She voted against it, noting that the bill she sponsored in the past will require greater responsibility not only from the health department associated with his supervision, but also from the Arizona Corporation Commission where the enterprises should be registered.
Khatatly, whose niece died in one of the houses, said that this year the republican sponsors of sober home legislation do not include her in their discussions.
“We don’t really solve the problem,” she said during the voting in the Senate last month. “So, say that it is good enough when we still die and lose in the system, this is a person’s life. These are my relatives. These are my family members.”
Senator Frank Carol, a leading sponsor of the bill, did not immediately respond to email and phone calls.
Maria Polleta, senior reporter and associate editor of Azcir, reported.
