The 2024 Lown Institute Shkreli Awards highlighted ten egregious examples of healthcare profiteering and dysfunction. The awards recognized practices ranging from the alleged sale of unclaimed body parts by a university health science center to Medicare’s mass billing for urinary catheters, representing an 800% increase. Further awardees included a medical device company employing shady billing practices, a hospital system prioritizing profit over patient care, and a pharmaceutical company marketing a cancer drug at a significantly higher, less effective dose. These cases, selected by a panel of experts, underscore the urgent need for systemic healthcare reform.
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Following a dispute over an insurance claim denial, Briana Boston, 42, threatened a Blue Cross Blue Shield representative using the phrase “delay, deny, depose,” the same words found on bullet casings at the murder scene of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Police say Boston admitted to using the phrase due to its recent media prominence, further stating that insurance companies are “evil” and deserve retribution. Boston has been arrested and charged with threatening to conduct an act of terrorism, a second-degree felony carrying a potential 15-year prison sentence.
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Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, was not insured by the company. Police believe Mangione, who suffered a debilitating back injury, targeted Thompson due to UnitedHealthcare’s size and possibly harbored resentment towards the healthcare industry, as evidenced by his writings and social media posts. A gun matching shell casings at the crime scene, along with a handwritten document referencing the healthcare industry, were found upon Mangione’s arrest. He is currently fighting extradition to New York from Pennsylvania, where he faces weapons and other charges.
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Insurers pocketed approximately $50 billion from Medicare in the three years leading up to 2021 for diagnoses they added to patient records, even when patients received no treatment for those added conditions, or the diagnoses contradicted doctors’ findings. This massive sum represents a significant misuse of taxpayer funds and raises serious concerns about the integrity of the Medicare Advantage system.
The Medicare Advantage program, designed to leverage private insurers for more cost-effective healthcare, has instead ballooned into a system costing tens of billions of additional dollars. This cost increase is partially attributable to insurers’ practice of adding diagnoses to those already recorded by patients’ physicians.… Continue reading
Four Los Angeles residents were arrested for insurance fraud after claiming a bear had damaged their luxury vehicles. The group submitted videos of a “bear” inside a Rolls-Royce and two Mercedes to their insurance companies, but a biologist confirmed that the “bear” was actually a human in a bear suit. Detectives uncovered two additional claims with similar videos and dates, leading to the arrest of the four individuals. The suspects allegedly sought to defraud three insurance companies out of nearly $142,000.
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A Brooklyn man has been charged with insurance fraud after a video of a staged car crash on the Belt Parkway went viral. Maikel Martinez, 28, was arraigned on charges of staging a motor vehicle accident, criminal mischief, reckless endangerment, conspiracy, and insurance fraud. The video, captured by a dashcam, shows Martinez and several other individuals involved in the crash. The incident was caught on video by Ashpia Natasha, who was driving on the Belt Parkway when the car in front of her abruptly stopped and backed up into her SUV. Natasha’s dashcam footage shows a silver car stopping suddenly and backing into her vehicle.… Continue reading
As a young student, the idea of being persuaded by a friend to amputate my legs for a $1.3 million insurance scam is beyond comprehension. Reading about the case of a 23-year-old student in Taiwan who was tricked into signing a legal note obligating him to pay $800,000 by his so-called friend is both shocking and disturbing. The manipulation and deceit involved in convincing someone to mutilate themselves for financial gain is a clear indication of the depths some people are willing to sink to for money.
The fact that this student suffered losses from trading cryptocurrency and was desperate enough to consider such a heinous act is a sad reflection of the pressures and anxieties individuals may face in today’s society.… Continue reading
popping and hearing loss in one ear. He remained home collecting a nice paycheck, disability and settlement check for the following four years while working retirement job as a cable installer. Sometimes injuring yourself through an accident can legitimate… but boy people tend to go overboard with it.
The recent news of a woman losing a £650,000 injury claim after being caught tossing a Christmas tree at a competitive event has brought up a plethora of thoughts and reflections on the matter. It’s not uncommon for insurance companies to dig deep and investigate claims, especially when they suspect fraudulent activity. As seen in various cases shared by individuals, from rear-ending accidents to personal injury claims, the importance of genuine claims and the consequences of deceit are highlighted vividly.… Continue reading
John Q. Hosedrinker 
Matt Underwood