$3 off $30 purchase
Homestead, FL 33030
You better get a free lollypop for that price. According to the Millman Index, the average total medical costs for a family of four rose 7.4% in the past year to $16,771. Miami has the heaviest costs in the entire country, with an average of $20,280. That costs includes employer contributions, deduc ... More >>
When Hugh Westbrook pioneered hospice care, his organization saw to the needs of the dying. Fifteen years later nothing has changed -- except the politics and the profit margins.
Step right up and be astounded by Miami's bizarre side show of Medicare and Medicaid scammers! After all, you're paying for it!
Urban legend or reality, The Bugchasers seeks a spotlight
A prominent couple's life unravels amid fraud charges and an arson investigation
The rotten roots of a sweet HMO deal rip dental health from the mouths of babes
Alberto Gutman
They're poor, black, and HIV-positive. Their product? The AIDS medications intended to cure them.
Before the Nazis amputated her arm, Sara Fershko was a concert violinist. Today she's struggling to pay her medical bills
Before the Nazis amputated her arm, Sara Fershko was a concert violinist. Today she's struggling to pay her medical bills
Sure, it's not as sexy as running coke in cigarette boats over the Florida Straits or bootlegging moonshine for northern gangsters on the lam. But damn if Medicare fraud isn't lucrative -- which is probably why it's shaping up as one of the defining crimes of modern Miami.As Jay Weaver's great cover ... More >>
The string of headlines involving several local busts of fraudulent HIV/AIDS treatment facilities milking medicare for money was no coincidence. Two years ago the justice department begin specifically targeting medicare fraud in the city. After success in Miami and then Los Angeles, today Attorney G ... More >>
via Fidget's flickrWe broke the news this week that the average cost of health care for a family of four in Miami was the highest in nation at $20,280, 20% more than the national average. So Time's brave Tim Padgett takes a look into the state of the health industry in Miami, and while he finds ... More >>
via Moriza's flickrHot off news that Miami has, by some metrics, the highest health care costs in the nation, the county unveiled plans for a new affordable health care plan that they're not only calling "cutting edge," but a possible model for nationwide reform. Dubbed Miami-Dade Blu ... More >>
Let's go ahead and just christen it the cocaine trade of the Double-Aughts: Medicare fraud may be a lot less sexy, but it sure is keeping federal prosecutors in Miami busy.One month after busting up a $21 million, three-state ring, the feds expanded that investigation and charged eight Miami re ... More >>
So apparently Victoria Jackson's heartfelt column about breaking into tears over Year One's sheep-fucking jokes was the first in what we can only hope is a long line of columns for (former Drudge collaborator) Andrew Breitbart's conservative site Big Hollywood.Unfortunately, the SNL alum and Mi ... More >>
via A R B O's flickrAccording to a new Quinnipiac poll, 58% of Floridians support creating a government health insurance plan, while only 36% oppose it. So it should be good news for supporters of the so-called "public option" that voters in a notoriously moderate swing state seem to be ... More >>
Mayoral candidate Tomas Regalado may be accused of not being able to deal with his personal finances (he claims to only be worth $5000 year after year, and once had his wages garnished for not paying taxes), but his campaign manager is doing a good job with his war chest. He's consistently out-raisi ... More >>
Poor Charlie Crist. As he tries to make the move from governor to senator, he finds himself in quite the political quagmire. Much of which has been brought on by primary foe Marco Rubio hitting Crist from the right every chance he gets. So in response, Crist, whose reputation has changed from "Chain ... More >>
Former Mayor of Miami Maurice Ferre, who somehow thinks he is running for US Senate even though he is trailing in the primary race for the party that is trailing in the general election race, has announced that he doesn't support the Democratic healthcare plan. "It is a special-interest pla ... More >>
Former Mayor of Miami Maurice Ferre, who somehow thinks he is running for US Senate even though he is trailing in the primary race for the party that is trailing in the general election race, has announced that he doesn't support the Democratic healthcare plan. "It is a special-interest pla ... More >>
Hot on the heels of his announcement that he'd file a lawsuit if any health care legislation passes in Washington that would force people to buy insurance, Attorney General Bill McCollum finds himself with a 10 point lead in the Governor's race.According to a new poll from Quinnipiac, R ... More >>
Hot on the heels of his announcement that he'd file a lawsuit if any health care legislation passes in Washington that would force people to buy insurance, Attorney General Bill McCollum finds himself with a 10 point lead in the Governor's race.According to a new poll from Quinnipiac, R ... More >>
If you're half as cool as the staff here at Riptide, you were flipping between March Madness and C-SPAN last night like your life depended on it. Which to pick?photo by Sage Ross, via Wikimedia CommonsThe power of cardboard signs and megaphones was not enough to derail health reform.On CBS, Korie Lu ... More >>
We've had a hard time figuring out where presumptive gubernatorial nominee Alex Sink lies on the Democratic Party's spectrum.Is she a dyed-in-the-wool, bleeding-heart liberal? Eh, probably not.Is she a staunch Blue Dog? Doesn't quite seem like it.Is she, like so many Florida politicians, a cautio ... More >>
Fidel Castro took some time out of his busy schedule of not dying to pen a piece for a state newspaper that said President Obama and the Democrat's recent passage of health care reform is a "miracle." Well, the Republican Party of Florida took time out of their busy schedule of basically giv ... More >>
In the News Roundup each morning we've been keeping an eye on the plight of Diana Smith, a local mother battling a rare form of leukemia. Smith was almost denied a life saving treatment when Social Security disability payments made to her son raised her income enough to where she no longer qualif ... More >>
Richard L. Scott, a businessman who lives in Naples, has thrown his hat into the ring for the Republican's gubernatorial nomination against Attorney General Bill McCollum and state Sen. Paula Dockery. Don't know anything about him? Here's some fun facts:He hates President Obama's health care refo ... More >>
Bad doctors, bad. Miami has long been the country's capitol for Medicare fraud schemes, and today federal authorities arrested four people associated with American Therapeutic Corporation and charged the Miami-based company with fleecing $200 million from Medicare. The company is accused of preyi ... More >>
Florida's new governor: Rick ScottWatching last night's election results pour in, Banana Republican could only take solace that Dorrin Rolle is no longer a Miami-Dade County commissioner and that state legislators will no longer have the ability to draw their own districts. Other than that, the 2 ... More >>
Is Alex Sink chewing on a bushel of sour grapes following her loss to Rick Scott or is she accurately hitting on some of the political and messaging failures of the Obama White House and the Democratic party in general? In an article on Politico this weekend, Sink lays some of the blame for her loss ... More >>
viaA federal judge today began hearing arguments in outgoing Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum's lawsuit against the Federal Government, which alleges that forcing citizens to buy health insurance is unconstitutional. The trial is expected to be an in-depth, mature and scholarly proceeding. ... More >>
Federal Republicans were forced to back down from a controversial bill dictating that federal money could only be spent on abortions for woman who were "forcibly raped," where as current language allows for some public spending on abortions for woman who are victims of rape or incest. They backed ... More >>
The average health care bill for a family of four living in the Miami area in 2011 will be $23,362. That's more than any other major metro area in America, and a 120.5 percent, or $3,969, more than the national average. Considering that national average for health care cost has more than doubled ... More >>
A candid conversation with South Florida's rising Tea Party star.
Back in December, New Times reported the long and shady past of newly elected state Rep. Daphne Campbell's questionable dealings while running group homes for adults who need special care. Now her son, 28-year-old Gregory Campbell, has been charged with Medicare fraud for allegedly bill ... More >>
Elton John in an ad for a MAC lipstick that benefits AIDS charities. Singer Elton John is just the latest in a long line of critics who have a bone to pick with Florida governor Rick Scott. Through his Elton John AIDS Foundation, the singer wrote a letter to Scott urging the governor not to make ... More >>
Uncle Luke, the man whose booty-shaking madness once made the U.S. Supreme Court stand up for free speech, gets as nasty as he wants to be for Miami New Times. This week, Luke reassesses Sen. Marco Rubio's Tea Party credentials.I need to thank Marco Rubio. He really stuck it to the Tea Party. He ... More >>
Uncle Luke, the man whose booty-shaking madness once made the U.S. Supreme Court stand up for free speech, gets as nasty as he wants to be for Miami New Times. This week, Luke reassesses Sen. Marco Rubio's Tea Party credentials.I need to thank Marco Rubio. He really stuck it to the Tea Party. He ... More >>
A hot, sloppy mess. And Nicki Minaj.The Riptide national politics desk has been working around the clock to bring you this shocking revelation: Some Democrats suspect the Republican Party is crazy."I think Mitch McConnell, frankly, has lost his mind," said Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill of Miss ... More >>
According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, the average health plan costs an American family $13,770 in premiums a year. Governor Rick Scott pays just $360 to insure himself and his wife thanks to a state Government plan he's enrolled in. Yep. the average American pays 38.25 percent more for their he ... More >>
So, Marco Rubio is going around calling America "weakened." He blames it on Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare. Well, MSNBC host Ed Schultz takes exception to the claim, and ripped Rubio in a 16-minute segment aired last Friday."Rubio is stupid, he doesn't even know he's offensive," says Schu ... More >>
US Attorney General Eric HolderSouth Florida can add another feather to its fraud cap: scummiest Medicare scammers in the U.S.SoFla has long been the anus epicenter of health care fraud (see Rick Scott and Columbia/HCA). So it's no surprise that when prosecutors announced charges today ag ... More >>
photo by Daniel Christensen via Wikimedia CommonsCounty Hall, oxy central?In true South Florida fashion, a pill mill that trafficked thousands of illegal oxycodone tablets was operating right in the heart of Miami-Dade County government, the feds say.Recent charges filed against Robert's Drug Sto ... More >>
photo by Daniel Christensen via Wikimedia CommonsCounty Hall, oxy central?In true South Florida fashion, a pill mill that trafficked thousands of illegal oxycodone tablets was operating right in the heart of Miami-Dade County government, the feds say.Recent charges filed against Robert's Drug Sto ... More >>
Rivera's taxpayer funded flierOne of the perks in Congress is the right of "franking" -- no, it has nothing to do with Barney Frank, tequila shots and a dark alley. It's the ancient right to send constituents heaps of unwanted glossy fliers plastered with your grinning face at taxpayer expense. F ... More >>
Congratulations Miami-Dade County! We're home to not one, but two of the ten worst-run cities in the entire United States of America. The City of Miami came first on 24/7 Wall Street's list. That would be bad enough, but citizens of Miami proper may be even more devastated ;to find that their cit ... More >>
A Floridian convicted of drunk driving already had his penis amputated during a three-year prison stay. Now the state wants him to pay more than $50,000 for the experience. Last week, we brought you the sorry saga of a man we named Hank, who endured several allegedly botched surgeries while in ... More >>
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi may be fighting to repeal President Obama's healthcare reform laws in court, but the new laws have already saved Floridians close to $142 million, and most of the laws haven't even gone into effect yet. The savings come from Medicare recipients who now pay l ... More >>
Discover restaurants, nightlife, travel, shopping...
Get 50 to 90% off every day on restaurants, movies, massages...
More than 10,000 of the BEST things to eat, drink, and experience
Join the Village Voice community and get exclusive deals and info
Your local Happy Hour guide at your fingertips
Log in or Sign up
Social Connect:Use your favorite account to access My Voice Nation.
Use your My Voice Nation account to log in:
Sign Up or Log in
Social Connect:Sign up for My Voice Nation with your preferred network.
Sign up for a My Voice Nation account:
