While Rep. Michelle Bachmann, R-Minn., has forcefully denounced the Medicaid program for swelling the "welfare rolls," the mental health clinic run by her husband has been collecting annual Medicaid payments totaling over $137,000 for the treatment of patients since 2005, according to new figures obtained by NBC News.Read the rest here.
The previously unreported payments are on top of the $24,000 in federal and state funds that Bachmann & Associates, the clinic founded by Marcus Bachmann, a clinical therapist, received in recent years under a state grant to train its employees, state records show. The figures were provided to NBC News in response to a Freedom of Information request.
The clinic, based in Lake Elmo, Minn., describes itself on its website as offering "quality Christian counseling" for a large number of mental health problems ranging from "anger management" to addictions and eating disorders.
The $161,000 in payments from the Minnesota Department of Human Services to her husband's clinic appear to contradict some of Michelle Bachmann's public accounts this week when she was first asked about the extent to which her family has benefited from government aid. Contacted this afternoon, Alice Stewart, a spokeswoman for Bachmann, said the congresswoman was doing campaign events and was not immediately available for comment.
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6 comments:
The clinic received only $137,000 in Medicaid over the last 5.5 years? Not bad, considering that the Feds are the 900 pound gorilla in the market.
Heck, I'd have been ashamed to have admitted that I'd milked Uncle for so little.
So, basically, that is just roughly $24k a year for the entire firm? That's peanuts.
This is totally a non-story.
Dr Bachmann provided mental health services to clients who were covered by Medicaid. His practice billed Medicaid for those services, just as they would bill any other insurance provider.
It is not as if Dr Bachmann received "government aid." His clients received government aid. All Dr Bachmann did was receive the money that he earned for the services he provided.
I don't care for Mrs Bachmann's politics and I won't vote for her, but there is nothing even remotely out of line or hypocritical here.
Sure, the hypocrisy is with the media for trying to paint this legitimate business as something else. This is a total hack job. John, I am surprised that you would fall for this charade.
Stephen
Oh dear. Cut medicaid and medicare funding, but only to those patients who attend clinics run by those providers other than my husband.
Mr Jones + Anonymous: John is not, in the least, questioning the legitimacy of what Mrs Bachmann's husband is doing. He is, however, pointing out that it is inconsistent - and even hypocritical - for the Bachmanns to criticise a health programme from which they happily allow their business to benefit.
parepidemos - I oppose Social Security as an unconstitutional fraud. But if the government is going to deduct from my paycheck over my objection for my entire working life, then I am going to take every penny of Social Security that is offered. I don't begrudge Dr. Bachman his $25K gross/yr of Medicaid reimbursements.
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