East Alabama Examiner

11/07/2024

https://www.eaexaminer.com/post/reuters-report-us-judge-says-blue-cross-must-face-alabama-health-providers-price-fixing-claims

11/07/2024

11/07/2024

By John BriceCorrespondent Unwelcome news for residents of Chambers County was delivered in a public statement from East Alabama Health Care which announced that inpatient medical services would no…

08/07/2024

https://www.eaexaminer.com/post/unmasking-the-hidden-middleman-in-pharmacy-benefits-managers

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Originally appeared on the MinnPost news websiteIn 2023, U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., made headlines by confronting Ticketmaster over its anti-consumer practices. Following her example, the U.S. Justice Department announced last month that it was initiating antitrust action against the live ent...

08/07/2024

“Be sure your sins will find you out”! I was talking about Interlocking Directorates and someone told me that no one else will serve on those Boards, so what if a few noble directors reluctantly fill those positions and take a little for their trouble, everybody wins, don’t they?

The consumer never wins under monopoly. You would miss the point if you didn't see that having the same people on the most powerful corporations, the same people on the Metropolitan Planning Organizations and those same people holding the office of Commissioner, Revenue Commissioner, Judge, County Engineer, Sheriff, etc., ends in concentration of power and tyranny. It creates a class of Robber Barons like Rockefeller, Carnegie and Morgan who notoriously engaged in unethical business practices, formed Trusts and exploited workers—all to the detriment of customer, competitor and worker alike.

Originally appeared on the Lee County Bulletin website“Be sure your sins will find you out”! I was talking about Interlocking Directorates and someone told me that no one else will serve on those Boards, so what if a few noble directors reluctantly fill those positions and take a little for thei...

08/07/2024

Readers say these posts are dry and could be better informed. No one else would write about the “Travesty on Pepperell Parkway” and I was volunteered. So I am capable of taking some direction. Okay, so EAMC’s Rap Sheet was worse than I thought, fortunately several readers have contributed to our understanding of EAMC Billing Office practices; others confirmed the reality of the Interlocking Directorates of: EAMC, BCBSAL, Alabama Certificate of Need (CON) Board, Auburn University Board of Trustees, Auburn Bank, so I missed a few. We’ll share information as we re-introduce old and some new members of the EAMC All-star Roster.

Originally appeared on the Lee County Bulletin websiteReaders say these posts are dry and could be better informed. No one else would write about the “Travesty on Pepperell Parkway” and I was volunteered. So I am capable of taking some direction. Okay, so EAMC’s Rap Sheet was worse than I thou...

08/07/2024

If so, perhaps it's time to disown it, time to stop the Special Hospital Tax that enables Bond Issues into perpetuity, the millions of dollars worth of subsidies in the form of Lee County Jail Prisoners' health, Ambulance Service, Emergency Room, etc.

Previous articles have raised the issue of the ownership of EAMC. If the County owns EAMC, then the County has the authority and duty to hold the EAHCA Board and the EAMC President accountable for the fraud, the greed, the poor quality of care received at the hospital during their tenure.

Originally appeared on the Lee County Bulletin websiteIf so, perhaps it's time to disown it, time to stop the Special Hospital Tax that enables Bond Issues into perpetuity, the millions of dollars worth of subsidies in the form of Lee County Jail Prisoners' health, Ambulance Service, Emergency Room,...

08/07/2024

The recent exposure of EAMC greed and fraud has struck a chord with past and present Hosts of the EAMC Parasite. Many have emailed complaining that EAMC treated them like a slab of meat, but surprisingly, many of those who have contacted the Bulletin are former or current EAMC employees encouraging us, saying we've uncovered only the tip of the iceberg, keep it up. Word is the morale among the EAMC workforce is very bad. They say Covid 19 is used as an excuse to treat employees poorly; management is insensitive to the workload and employees are simply overworked and understaffed. I spoke to a nurse who moved here from Iowa to take a job at EAMC, but after two months, decided to find a job at a physician’s office due to poor working conditions at the hospital. She was shocked that nurses were instructed to use patients' insurance like credit cards. When prepping for procedures, she would rightfully pick every conceivable supply that could be needed, but if the hospital didn’t use all the supply items, whether re-stocked or not, the cost was placed on the patient’s bill.

Originally appeared on the Lee County Bulletin websiteThe recent exposure of EAMC greed and fraud has struck a chord with past and present Hosts of the EAMC Parasite. Many have emailed complaining that EAMC treated them like a slab of meat, but surprisingly, many of those who have contacted the Bull...

08/07/2024

"Defendant Aperian Laboratory Solutions, LLC (“Aperian”) is a corporation with its principal office in Opelika, Alabama at 121 N. 20th Street, Suite 17 Opelika, AL 36801. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of The East Alabama Health Care Authority d/b/a East Alabama Medical Center. Aperian provides both forensic lab services (through drug screens for industrial employees) and clinical laboratory services (through testing for pain management and family practice clinics to determine the presence of pain management drugs in their patients’ bodies). Aperian has its own provider numbers and submitted, and continues to submit, claims for laboratory services to Federal payors, Medicare, Medicaid, TriCare and CHAMPUS. Defendant East Alabama Health Care Authority, d/b/a East Alabama Medical Center is located at 2000 Pepperell Parkway, Opelika, AL, 36801. Defendant EAHCA is owned by Lee County and holds itself out as a not for profit institution. It is the parent company of wholly-owned subsidiary Aperian. The officers for Aperian and EAHCA are the same people."

Originally appeared on the Lee County Bulletin websiteFite v. Aperian Laboratory Solutions LLC (5:13-cv-01626)District Court, N.D. Alabama Last Updated: Nov. 6, 2021, 11:06 a.m. CDTAssigned To: L. Scott CooglerDate Filed: Aug. 30, 2013Date Terminated: Sept. 26, 2018Date of Last Known Filing: Sept. 2...

08/07/2024

"Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive." (Sir Walter Scott)

EAMC is no longer in the practice stage of deceit, with the advent of folks like Terry Andrus and Dr. Joel Pittard, deception has advanced to an Art. Under their leadership as Chairmen of the Board, the standard of care (judging by anecdotal evidence and law suits), has become appalling.

Originally appeared on the Lee County Bulletin website "Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive." (Sir Walter Scott)EAMC is no longer in the practice stage of deceit, with the advent of folks like Terry Andrus and Dr. Joel Pittard, deception has advanced to an Art. Under t...

08/07/2024

During the County Commission meeting Monday evening, EAMC CFO Sam Price and Vice President Nichols claimed that the hospital had lost $36 M due to the pandemic, then asked the County for up to $13.5 M to “fill the hole”. When Commissioner LaGrand asked Mr. Price how EAMC calculated its $36 M loss, Price painfully stammered, obfuscated and dissembled until Robert Ham came to his rescue by changing the subject to how wonderful his treatment was while he was in the hospital. [See the attached video.] Great! Now the taxpayer neither knows the specifics of how and where the $36 M was lost, nor who Robert Ham really represents. But wait, it sometimes appears he may also work for Creekwood Resources Quarry.

Originally appeared on the Lee County Bulletin websiteDuring the County Commission meeting Monday evening, EAMC CFO Sam Price and Vice President Nichols claimed that the hospital had lost $36 M due to the pandemic, then asked the County for up to $13.5 M to “fill the hole”. When Commissioner LaG...

08/07/2024

This letter was sent to our editors at [email protected]. The writer [PeterByrd] has exposed this information to the local media and Lee County Commission many times and hopes Leecountybulletin.com will be able to cast some light on this ongoing issue affecting all of Lee County. The Lee County Commission seem to be aiding and abetting this abuse.

Letter contents;

"For years I have attended these County Commission meetings, tracked the issues and trusted that each Commissioner’s vote would align with moral and legislative law. My friend, Lance Farrar, used to attend, but he was arrested and banned for two years after the most corrupt Commissioner perjured himself at his hearing in Judge Bush’s Court. His crime was to chastise the Commission and the Revenue Commissioner to hang their heads in shame for hiring security and then jokingly lamenting her inability to hire dogs as well, to enforce the Covid mask and distancing mandate.

https://www.eaexaminer.com/post/eamc-makes-money-the-old-fashioned-way-political-theft

Originally appeared on the Lee County Bulletin WebsiteThis letter was sent to our editors at [email protected]. The writer [PeterByrd] has exposed this information to the local media and Lee County Commission many times and hopes Leecountybulletin.com will be able to cast some light on this...

20/06/2024

Last month the 2024 Alabama legislative session came to a close without HB 238 also known as the FAIR Meds Act making it to the House floor for a vote despite it having been passed unanimously by the House Insurance Committee on March 6th. Heavy pressure from lobbyists representing the powerful downtown Birmingham syndicate which includes big mules such as Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama, Alabama Power, Regions Bank as well as the Business Council of Alabama and the Association of County Commissions of Alabama resulted in the legislation stalling out without being voted on. Working under the front group known as the Alliance of Alabama Healthcare Consumers, their main line of attack which was aided and abetted by the bought off local media was to push a false narrative which purported to describe what they referred to as a "$10.64 pharmacy tax" for every prescription filled with private insurance that they claimed would be created by HB 238 being passed.

Last month the 2024 Alabama legislative session came to a close without HB 238 also known as the FAIR Meds Act making it to the House floor for a vote despite it having been passed unanimously by the House Insurance Committee on March 6th. Heavy pressure from lobbyists representing the powerful down...

20/06/2024

"Today, Biden issued an EO to offer mass amnesty to illegal immigrants currently residing in our country. Couple this with his previous voter registration EO and it is clear that Biden is attempting to win the upcoming election, not by winning over legitimate American voters, but by attempting to legitimize illegal immigrants. He won’t stop with this EO. He will keep attempting to dilute the power of the vote of legal Americans. Biden and his administration are radical and lawless."

"Today, Biden issued an EO to offer mass amnesty to illegal immigrants currently residing in our country. Couple this with his previous voter registration EO and it is clear that Biden is attempting to win the upcoming election, not by winning over legitimate American voters, but by attempting to le...

20/06/2024

Originally appeared on 1819news.com June 16th, 2024

In 2022, President Joe Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), promising it would lower Medicare costs for seniors. But for Alabama's seniors, the reality has been far different. A new report reveals Medicare Part D premiums have skyrocketed 21% this year, with even higher prices expected next year. Instead of being the promised solution, the IRA is dismantling the Part D drug benefit and burdening Alabama's seniors with unaffordable costs.

https://www.eaexaminer.com/post/john-rice-broken-promises-and-the-inflation-reduction-act-s-impact-on-alabama-s-seniors

Originally appeared on 1819news.com June 16th, 2024In 2022, President Joe Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), promising it would lower Medicare costs for seniors. But for Alabama's seniors, the reality has been far different. A new report reveals Medicare Part D premiums have skyrocketed...

10/06/2024

Originally Appeared in the LaFayette Sun on May 22nd, 2024

Earlier this month the 2024 Alabama legislative session came to a close without HB 238 also known as the FAIR Meds Act making it to the House floor for a vote despite it having been passed unanimously by the House Insurance Committee on March 6th. Heavy pressure from lobbyists representing powerful downtown Birmingham based corporate special interests such as Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama, Alabama Power, Regions Bank as well as the Business Council of Alabama and the Association of County Commissions of Alabama resulted in the legislation stalling out without being voted on. Instead, a legislative study group has been formed which includes pharmacies, insurers, PBMs and drug manufacturers who will continue to discuss the complex matter and consider possible legislation going forward while the legislature is out of session.

Originally Appeared in the LaFayette Sun on May 22nd, 2024Earlier this month the 2024 Alabama legislative session came to a close without HB 238 also known as the FAIR Meds Act making it to the House floor for a vote despite it having been passed unanimously by the House Insurance Committee on March...

01/06/2024

Disgraced former Alabama Speaker of the House Mike Hubbard is well known for his sordid legacy defined by the corrupt thievery he engaged in which led to multiple felony criminal convictions on ethics law violations and a shameful prison sentence. What is not quite as well known is Hubbard's checkered past involving casino expansion in Alabama which ties in to the Republican party takeover of the state house in 2010 and blood money from the Poarch Band of Creek Indians that made it all possible. Hubbard was at the center of these critical points in Alabama's recent political history, yet the crimes that he was convicted for were merely the tip of the iceberg when examining what all he got away with scot free.

Disgraced former Alabama Speaker of the House Mike Hubbard is well known for his sordid legacy defined by the corrupt thievery he engaged in which led to multiple felony criminal convictions on ethics law violations and a shameful prison sentence. What is not quite as well known is Hubbard's checker...

11/05/2024

Wes Allen, Alabama’s Secretary of State, applauds the final passage of HB 230, a bill to reduce government red tape for Alabama small businesses.

“As Secretary of State, I will always support the hardworking men and women of Alabama as they pursue the American Dream,” said Secretary Allen. “I am proud to have supported legislation that cuts government red tape and removes an unnecessary burden from the shoulders of Alabama small business owners.”

Press ReleaseWes Allen, Alabama’s Secretary of State, applauds the final passage of HB 230, a bill to reduce government red tape for Alabama small businesses.“As Secretary of State, I will always support the hardworking men and women of Alabama as they pursue the American Dream,” said Secretar...