A regional task force of federal and local agents has been formed in Tampa to combat fraudulent Medicare claims throughout the state. ...more

December 15, 2009

A St. Petersburg businesswoman was arrested today on charges she was part of a scheme to defraud the state Medicaid program of roughly $70,000, the Attorney General's Office announced. A speech pathologist, whom the businesswoman employed, is also expected to be taken into custody in connection with the scheme. ...more

December 8, 2008

In 2006, Florida launched the first substantial reform of Medicaid since the program was originated more than three decades ago. The goals of reform were to improve the quality of health care provided to 2.2 million poor, elderly and disabled citizens under the state-federal program and to control skyrocketing costs that threatened the sustainability of this important program. ...more

November 29, 2008

WellCare Health Plans Inc. and several other health care companies have notified Florida that they will pull out of a pilot program aimed at providing HMO-style health coverage for Medicaid recipients in two Florida counties outside the Tampa Bay area, state officials said Thursday. ...more

August 28, 2008

Shares of WellCare Health Plans jumped Tuesday, a day after the company said it was restating more than three years worth of financial statements because of accounting errors. ...more

July 23, 2008

Shares of WellCare Health Plans soared today, a day after the company said it was restating more than three years' worth of financial statements due to accounting errors. At noon, the stock stood at $38.47, up $9.24 or 32 percent from Monday's close of $29.23. A Bloomberg News report quoted a Wachovia Securities analyst crediting the spike to the small size of the restatement. ...more

July 22, 2008

Three Clearwater men were arrested this week in a statewide scheme that fraudulently billed a Medicaid program for renovations to the bathrooms of the disabled that were done improperly or never done, according to court documents. ...more

May 31, 2008

CLEARWATER - Three Clearwater men were arrested this week in a statewide scheme that fraudulently billed a Medicaid program for renovations to the bathrooms of the disabled that were done improperly or never done, according to court documents. Charged with organized scheme to defraud and Medicaid provider fraud were Harry Sherman Lochbaum Sr., 65, of 1447 Stewart Blvd.; Richard Lehman, 59, of 912 Pine St.; and Gary Auffarth, 50, of 1670 Jeffords St. ...more

May 30, 2008

"Experience has shown that increasing taxes on cigarettes is one of the most effective strategies for reducing the level of smoking, especially among adolescents ..." ...more

February 19, 2008

It started with wanting something to do, preferably something charitable. ...more

October 20, 2007