Ruby Scott, 55, of Farmington Hills, was just convicted of five counts of health care fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States, and paying illegal health care kickbacks.  No word on the status of the corrupt nurse:

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/michigan-home-health-care-agency-owner-convicted-16m-medicare-fraud-scheme-and-kickback

Michigan Home Health Care Agency Owner Convicted of $1.6M Medicare Fraud Scheme and Kickback Conspiracy
DoJ Office of Public Affairs
For Immediate Release - May 15, 2026

A federal jury in the Eastern District of Michigan convicted a Michigan nurse and home health care agency owner yesterday for operating a $1.6 million scheme to defraud Medicare.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Ruby Scott, 55, of Farmington Hills, Michigan, owned and operated Delta Home Health Care LLC (Delta). From 2018 through 2021, Scott bribed a discharge nurse at a Detroit hospital to identify Medicare patients and fax their confidential records to Delta, unbeknownst to the patients. Scott had developed the kickback relationship with the hospital discharge nurse at a home health company she had previously co-owned, but she offered the nurse an additional $100 patient to induce her to refer patients to her new company. Scott paid the discharge nurse over $130,000 by CashApp, PayPal, check, and cash. Scott used these stolen profiles to bill Medicare for home health services, exploiting the diagnostic and personal information of patients who were unaware their data had been compromised.

The evidence at trial showed that Scott paid the discharge nurse approximately $300 for each patient Scott successfully billed to Medicare. In billing claims for patients who were obtained through kickbacks, as well as other claims between 2018 and 2024, Scott falsely represented to Medicare that a doctor had certified patients as meeting the Medicare requirements to receive home health services, including being homebound, when evidence proved no doctor had ever evaluated these patients for home health services. In many instances, Scott used the identities of real doctors to fabricate the existence of these evaluations when, in reality, these doctors had never even met the patients and did not know that Scott was using their information to fraudulently bill Medicare. A witness testified one patient for whom Delta received thousands of dollars in payments had never received services from Scott’s company. Delta failed to maintain patient files for over one-third of the patients for which it submitted claims to Medicare, for whom Medicare paid Delta over $1.2 million. Scott caused approximately $1.6 million in losses to Medicare, which a witness testified drains the Medicare trust fund and could make it difficult for Medicare to pay on claims that are true and accurate.

The jury convicted Scott of five counts of health care fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States and pay illegal health care kickbacks, and four counts of paying illegal health care kickbacks. She is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 24 and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison as to each health care fraud count, a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison as to each kickback count, and a maximum penalty of five years in prison as to the conspiracy count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division; Special Agent in Charge Reuben Coleman of the FBI Detroit Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Thomas Ethridge of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) made the announcement.

The FBI Detroit Field Office and HHS-OIG investigated the case.

Trial Attorneys Kelly M. Warner and Ahmad Huda of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case.

On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud Division”). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.

The Department of Justice’s Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in federal districts across the country, has charged more than 6,200 defendants who collectively billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $45 billion since 2007. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.

BLS did not separate out health care and social assistance violence, nor have they updated these numbers post COVID.  The social assistance sector has done little, but health care employers are taking measures to protect their employees.  We do know from BLS 2024 fatality data that health care workplace deaths have fallen by 25% while social services deaths have not changed significantly since COVID.  Fatalities in each employee category are less than 1% of overall workplace deaths, so the health care industry problem appears to be injuries, rather than homicides.  Most workplace deaths appear to be due to motor vehicle accidents, in any event.

The latest effort from Michigan Medical's Sparrow operation:

https://www.wilx.com/2026/05/14/university-michigan-health-sparrow-expands-panic-button-program-home-care-workers/

https://www.bls.gov/iif/factsheets/workplace-violence-2021-2022.htm

https://www.bls.gov/news.release/cfoi.t03.htm

University of Michigan Health-Sparrow expands panic button program to home care workers
Violence against healthcare workers is on the rise across the country and UM Health-Sparrow is among the hospitals scrambling to keep their staff safe.
By Bobby Cushing - May 13, 2026

LANSING, Mich. (WILX) - Violence against health care workers in the United States has seen a sharp increase in recent years, but at University of Michigan Health-Sparrow, something is being done about it.

The hospital system gives out wearable panic buttons for hospital staff to use when they feel unsafe. Now, that program is expanding to staff who work outside of the hospital’s walls.

The button sits behind a worker’s badge and can be tapped in seconds. Thousands of workers already have the button on them, and more than 250 have used it in the last 10 months. Now, members of the hospice and home care team are getting panic buttons of their own.

A hospital is already a high-intensity workplace, with workers spending long hours performing life-saving work. But there is a growing trend of violence against those workers.

A poll from the American College of Emergency Physicians found in 2024, 91% of emergency physicians said they or a coworker were threatened or attacked within the year.

“Some people just don’t call. They deal with it on a day-to-day basis. You know, our clinicians every day deal with things like this in the hospital,” said Chris Nemets, the Regional Chief Nursing Informatics Officer for Michigan Medicine.

To combat this trend, last year the hospital introduced panic buttons, giving workers an option to call for help if they feel unsafe or need assistance. Now those same buttons are being made available to hospice and home care teams.

“If there was a need within a home that they are in, because they go in and out of community homes, that they could call somebody and alert in an easy, discreet way,” Nemets said.

Nemets said the buttons stay out of the way until they are needed.

“And it’s a button that looks just like this that goes right behind your badge. It’s very discreet,” she said. “It’s silent, and it alerts our public safety department that there’s an incident going on.”

“They feel safer if they have a way to call somebody for help. If they get backed up into a corner, what are they going to do? Well, now, they have a duress button on their bodies,” Nemets said.

Nemets said even more workers at Michigan Health could soon get panic buttons of their own, but there is no time frame for that right now.

According to internal data from the University of Michigan Health-Sparrow, those panic buttons saw the highest rate of use in the emergency and behavioral health departments.

NFED is a newly established division within the U.S. Department of Justice focused on investigating and prosecuting fraud against taxpayer dollars and taxpayer-funded programs. It centralizes existing fraud enforcement resources and aims to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of fraud investigations nationwide.

The WOOD Radio report includes images of Sen. Nesbitt's letter, and links important resources, at its site.

https://wtkg.iheart.com/featured/wood-radio-local-news/content/2026-05-01-senator-nesbitt-seeks-federal-probe-into-possible-medicaid-fraud/

Senator Nesbitt seeks federal probe into possible Medicaid fraud

James Gemmell    |    May 1, 2026

LANSING, Mich. -- Senate Republican Leader Aric Nesbitt is asking the National Fraud Endowment Division to probe possible cases of Medicaid fraud in Michigan.

He says red flags were raised after an investigative report was released that tracked sharp upticks in Medicaid billings beginning in 2022, plus other expenditures.

"Three years ago, Democrats took full control of the Legislature - and Governor Whitmer - they blew through a historic $9 billion surplus," Nesbitt said in an interview on the West Michigan Live program. "They wasted it on liberal pork projects, bloated government, handouts to global corporations for jobs that just never showed up."

Nesbitt speaking there to WOOD Radio WML host Justin Barclay.

More details were provided in a news release

Senate Republican Leader Aric Nesbitt on Wednesday requested the U.S. Department of Justice’s newly established National Fraud Endowment Division look into possible cases of Medicaid fraud in Michigan under the objectives of the National Task Force to Eliminate Fraud established by President Donald Trump and chaired by Vice President JD Vance.

“We want to make sure this money is available so people who truly deserve these resources can get the support they need,” said Nesbitt, R-Porter Township. “That is exactly why we must also make sure fraudsters who make a career of gaming these systems are held accountable. We are not going to stop asking the questions that need to be asked to protect taxpayer dollars.”

Nesbitt said serious red flags that prompted his request included a recent investigative report that tracked sharp upticks in Medicaid billings following changes implemented by Democrats after they took control of both legislative chambers in 2022 and a March report by Michigan’s independent Auditor General that found the state’s Department of Health and Human Services failed for more than seven years to sufficiently monitor an $82 million contract with a private pharmacy benefits manager administering drug rebates for Medicaid.

“Taxpayers deserve assurance that Medicaid dollars are protected against waste, fraud and abuse, and that criminals who siphon from this system are held accountable to the full extent of the law,” Nesbitt wrote in a letter to U.S. Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald. “President Trump and Vice President Vance are leading the fight to combat widespread fraud and restore accountability in this system.”

###

https://www.freep.com/story/news/politics/2026/05/13/planned-parenthood-clinics-state-funding/90066532007/

Planned Parenthood: Michigan clinics will close if state doesn't provide $5M
Without a $5 million allocation from the state, Planned Parenthood says it will have to close further locations in Michigan.
By Arpan Lobo - May 13, 2026

Planned Parenthood of Michigan says it will have to close more abortion clinics in the state if it does not receive a one-time, $5 million allocation from the state. The organization is calling on Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to take action, although budgetary process constraints could make the request difficult to fulfill.

During a media call Wednesday, May 13, the organization's leaders said cuts to federal funding for abortion services and reproductive health care under President Donald Trump's administration threaten clinics in Michigan. Without a one-time allocation of $5 million from the state, the organization will have to close additional locations in Michigan, Paula Thornton Greear, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Michigan, said in a letter to Whitmer sent Wednesday.

It's not immediately clear what funding pool Whitmer could allocate funds to Planned Parenthood from. Typically, state dollars are earmarked for spending through the budget process, when the governor and each chamber of the Michigan Legislature hash out a spending plan. Any supplemental spending would also have to go through the Legislature, where Democrats control the Senate and Republicans control the House. It's not likely the House would support state funding for Planned Parenthood.

"Gov. Whitmer is one of the country's greatest champions for reproductive freedom. Under the Michigan Constitution, the Legislature has the responsibility to allocate state funds," Stacey LaRouche, Whitmer's press secretary, told the Detroit Free Press over email Wednesday. "We would encourage any organization or individual to work with the Legislature on their budget asks."

Thornton Greear said other governors have maneuvered one-time funding to their Planned Parenthood affiliates, noting a $4 million earmark for Planned Parenthood in Illinois authorized by Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

"We urge the governor to pursue every pathway," Thornton Greear said, calling for "urgency and creativity."

"The specific mechanism matters less than the outcome at this point."

Currently, Planned Parenthood has 10 health centers in Michigan where patients can receive reproductive healthcare, including medication and in-clinic abortions. The group closed health centers in Jackson, Marquette and Petoskey and consolidated its two Ann Arbor locations last year, also citing cuts in federal funding.

Grant funding through the federal Title X program has undergone a shift since Trump returned to office for a second, non-consecutive term early last year. Title X provides federal funding for family planning for low-income and uninsured individuals, according to KFF, and hundreds of abortion providers throughout the country rely on the funding.

In March, Democrats in Congress warned U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., in a letter that providers would face a funding cliff under changes to grant guidelines made by the department, NPR reported.

Thornton Greear said Wednesday a $5 million allocation from the state would cover services through October, when the next round of Title X funding is expected. But Planned Parenthood of Michigan cannot afford to hang on that long, and Michiganders would lose access to reproductive care without state relief, she said.

"Without state action, we will be forced to make decisions about our footprint that cannot be undone," Thornton Greear told reporters.

https://www.politico.com/news/2026/05/13/white-house-cuts-billions-california-medicaid-00919351

White House cuts $1.3 billion in Medicaid payments to California
CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz has repeatedly targeted the state over hospice care.
By Robert King - May 13, 2026

The Trump administration is withholding $1.3 billion in Medicaid reimbursements to California for failing to combat fraud, escalating a feud with the state over its management of hospice care.

“The state of California has not taken fraud very seriously,” said Vice President JD Vance during a press conference Wednesday at the White House.

Though the administration has repeatedly criticized California’s fraud oversight, this is the first time the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has targeted payments to the state. In recent months it has withheld more than $300 million in Medicaid reimbursements to Minnesota for suspect claims.

Medicaid is a joint federal-state partnership. California has already paid providers serving the low-income patients in the program. CMS will not pay the federal government’s share unless the state meets the agency’s requirements for showing eligible patients actually received services. The state did not immediately return a request for comment on CMS’ action.

CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz said at the press conference the $1.3 billion is the agency’s largest deferral ever, though it’s a small portion of California’s total federal Medicaid funding. CMS reimbursed California more than $92 billion in fiscal 2024, according to the most recent data.

“We would like the state to come to the table to explain to us how these outlier payments have been generated,” he said.

Oz has repeatedly targeted hospice fraud in California, especially in Los Angeles. “There aren’t that many people dying in Los Angeles,” he said. “We believe half of the hospices in the entire area around Los Angeles are fraudulent.”

CMS recently suspended payments to 800 hospice facilities in California and less than 20 have complained, which Oz said means his agency is “on the right track.”

The agency is also asking every state’s Medicaid fraud control unit to detail their actions combating fraud. Vance said units in some states are not doing enough to combat fraud, despite getting federal funding.

At some point, Michigan will face scrutiny and punishment for our single year $ 350 million surge in Medicaid payments.

https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/us-halting-medicare-enrollments-new-home-healthcare-hospice-providers-2026-05-13/

• Move is part of Vance task force on healthcare scams
• Pause will give government time to scrutinize accounts
• Fraud crackdown began in Minnesota

May 13 (Reuters) - The Trump administration will block new home healthcare and hospice providers from enrolling in Medicare for at least the next six months, according ​to a government statement posted on Wednesday, citing concerns about widespread fraud.

The moratorium will temporarily bar new providers in those categories from signing up for reimbursement ‌from Medicare, a U.S. government health insurance program for Americans aged 65 and older and those with disabilities. It will not impact providers already registered with Medicare, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which oversees the program.

It is the latest move by Vice President JD Vance's anti-fraud task force that aims to crack down on healthcare scams.

The U.S. government has for years tried to tackle fraudulent ​payments from Medicare to hospice and home healthcare providers.

Scammers can bill Medicare for hospice or home healthcare services that the patient doesn't need or want, allowing ​them to rake in millions of dollars from the U.S. government. The national fraud prevention group Senior Medicare Patrol has repeatedly issued ⁠alerts on the issue.

CMS has paused enrollments in the past in specific counties when staff suspected fraud, including in 2013, when it barred new providers based in Florida's ​Miami-Dade County.

"This is about protecting patients, restoring integrity and safeguarding taxpayer dollars," said CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz in a statement.

Reuters was first to report on the pause. The moratorium will ​give CMS time to account for hospice and home health expenditures under the Medicare program and create additional guidance, an administration official said.

The Trump administration has been criticized for mixing the president's political preferences with agency efforts to eliminate fraud in government payments. The administration singled out some Democratic-led states, including California and Minnesota, as not doing enough to combat fraud. But it also ramped up oversight ​of hospices in Georgia and Ohio last year, both led by Republicans.

DIFFERENT APPROACHES FROM INDUSTRY

In 2024, 1.8 million Medicare beneficiaries received hospice care at a cost of $28.3 billion, ​according to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission. The same year, 2.7 million patients on Medicare received home healthcare at a cost of $16 billion, according to the agency which advises Congress on healthcare spending.

Vance's ‌task force ⁠has recently taken action against hospice services, particularly in California, where the state auditor said in 2022 that lax oversight had enabled large-scale fraud.

Industry groups had urged different approaches as the Trump administration weighed potential action.

The National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation said in March it supported temporarily pausing hospice provider enrollments. The National Alliance for Care at Home warned against overly broad action that could deter doctors and patients from recommending or seeking care.

Major home health operators in the U.S. include BrightSpring Health Services (BTSG.O), opens new tab, private equity-backed Matrix ​Medical Network, and UnitedHealth Group (UNH.N), opens new tab. Chemed Corporation (CHE.N), opens new tab subsidiary ​VITAS Healthcare is among the top ⁠hospice care providers.

BROADER CRACKDOWN

Tens of billions of dollars are estimated to be lost in the United States through healthcare fraud each year, translating into higher costs for patients and employers, according to the National Health Care Anti-Fraud Association.

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has ​also sought to tackle other healthcare sectors it has deemed a fraud risk. The administration in February paused Medicare enrollments by ​suppliers of durable medical equipment, ⁠such as prostheses.

The fraud crackdown started in Minnesota, where the Trump administration said in February it would withhold $259 million in funds for Medicaid, the federal- and state-run program for lower-income Americans.

Trump has repeatedly invoked a scandal in Minnesota that dates back to 2020, in which 47 people were accused of defrauding $250 million from a state-run, federally funded child nutrition program. Many of the ⁠defendants in ​that case were Somali Americans, according to local news reports.

The controversy prompted Trump earlier this year to ​send in thousands of federal immigration officers as part of a migrant crackdown. He shifted tactics to a less aggressive approach after federal officers shot dead two people protesting his policies.

In announcing the fraud task force in ​March, Trump, without providing evidence, said fraud allegations were higher in Democratic-led states than in Republican-led states.

Of these measures, perhaps the most bizarre is the out of pocket medical expense which, no matter how necessary or legitimate, does not qualify toward the legally-required Out of Pocket (OOP) maximum.

This week a bill tackles this issue in the Senate Committee on Finance, Insurance, and Consumer Protection committee.

Wednesday, May 13, 2026     12:30 p.m.

AGENDA

SB 914
Sen. Chang
Insurance: health benefits; application of amount paid by the insured or other certain parties when calculating the insured’s co-pay for a prescription drug; require under certain conditions.

And any other business properly before the committee.

https://www.hhs.gov/press-room/trump-administration-launches-moms-gov-for-new-and-expecting-mothers.html

https://www.moms.gov/

Trump Administration Launches Moms.Gov for New and Expecting Mothers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 10, 2026
Contact: HHS Press Office
202-690-6343

WASHINGTON—May 10, 2026 — On Mother's Day, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services launched Moms.gov, a groundbreaking website for new and expecting mothers. This first-of-its-kind resource offers guidance and information to support the health and well-being of mothers and their families.

Moms.gov also supports expecting parents who are navigating difficult or unexpected pregnancies. It features information about pregnancy centers, Federally Qualified Health Centers, nutritional guidance, Trump Accounts, and other resources that allow maternal and infant health to thrive.

"This Mother's Day, the Trump Administration is strengthening its commitment to America's families by equipping mothers and fathers with the resources and information they need to build healthy, prosperous lives," said HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. "Moms.gov delivers critical tools and support to help parents foster healthy pregnancies, strengthen young families, and create brighter futures for their children. This is how you Make America Healthy Again."

"On Mother's Day, we recognize that the health of mothers and the health of women are deeply connected" said Deputy Assistant Secretary for Women's Health Dorothy Fink, MD.  Through our Perinatal Improvement Collaborative , we have reduced maternal mortality by 41.5%.  We remain committed to supporting women's health throughout motherhood and at every stage of life.

"Moms.Gov is an easy-to-navigate platform that features information on:

• Support Services and Health Centers (Pregnancy Centers and FQHCs).
• Nutrition quick facts for mothers based on the Dietary Guideline for Americans.
• Trump Accounts.
• Trump Rx.
• Resources for women and parents.
• Preconception health.
• Breastfeeding.
• Mental health.
• Adoption.

To Make America Healthy Again means providing the chance for families to excel physically, mentally, and in their social and spiritual well-being. Moms.gov is an important new federal resource in support of that goal.

Hospitals will argue inflation, everything costs more, we're losing money, etc.

I reply: fees at independent radiology centers (like Basha Diagnostics in SE Michigan, and The Imaging Center in West MI) include a CD of images plus the written report, and still beat hospital prices.

Wednesday, May 13, 2026      9:00 AM

AGENDA

HB 5681 (Rep. Phil Green)
Health: medical records; medical record fees; modify.

HB 5903 (Rep. Bierlein)
Health facilities: certificate of need; allowable use of hospital swing beds; expand to include behavioral health patients.

OR ANY BUSINESS PROPERLY BEFORE THIS COMMITTEE

Many variables (refundable, income limits, eligible expenses, age/disability criteria, etc.) are summarized in an ASPE issue brief.

Michigan's bill is so fresh off the press, no fiscal analysis is yet available.

Non-health bills are in italics.

Wednesday, May 13, 2026     12:00 PM

AGENDA

HB 5779 (Rep. Harris)
Financial institutions: credit unions; commitment for insurance from a qualified private insurance organization; allow for domestic credit unions in certain filings.

HB 5780 (Rep. McFall)
Financial institutions: credit unions; insurance from a qualified private insurance organization; allow for domestic credit unions during certain conversions.

HB 5781 (Rep. Schuette)
Financial institutions: credit unions; insurance from a qualified private insurance organization; allow for foreign credit unions.

HB 5782 (Rep. Lightner)
Financial institutions: credit unions; insurance from a qualified private insurance organization; allow for domestic credit unions.

HB 5783 (Rep. Brenda Carter)
Financial institutions: credit unions; certain communication with a qualified private insurance organization; allow.

HB 5214 (Rep. Schmaltz)
Individual income tax: credit; credit for eligible family caregivers; provide for.

OR ANY BUSINESS PROPERLY BEFORE THIS COMMITTEE