GAO launches ACA sting...

[Kujako]

So... they're able to buy insurance that they'll be unable to use? Not sure what the issue is. It's not really fraud to pay people for stuff and then not take it. I bet I could assume a false identity and go buy cheezits at safeway and leave them at the checkout.

[Masark]

Wake me up when Obama gets caught shagging Merkel.

People would probably only be interested if it was with the President of Germany.

[Mayhem]

They had all the information necessary for identification. What do you expect the government to do, read their minds and find out its fake that way?

glad i´m not the only one

[WarpKnight]

The estimated fraud of the 11 successes would have (if it was real) cost $30,000 annually.

Hahaha good fucking grief, $30k for 11 people is worth getting up in arms about? It's disappointing McCarthyism is still prevalent in the West

[Cthulhu 2020]

I think we can all agree that $30,000 annually is not, in the grand scheme of things, much. But we can also agree that fraud WILL happen any time there is a chance for "free" things. The question is how much fraud has happened and how much is it costing?

They signed up stolen identities,

complete with SS#, income, and citizenship status ... That's hardly specific to the ACA.

What are fake people going to do with stolen ID insurance that require picture ID for treatment?

Fun fact, it's even easier to fool most private companies when you sign up for stuff than it is to fool the government.

[Daelak]

http://www.govexec.com/management/20...pproved/89387/

Short:
The GAO (Government Accountability Office) created 18 false identities (complete with SS#, income, and citizenship status) via counterfeit papers. Twelve of those "people" attempted to sign up for ACA subsidies via the ACA website. The other six attempted to sign up over the phone with the help of Navigators.

Eleven of the eighteen attempts succeeded. Five out of the six attempts by phone succeeded. One failed because they refused to give a SS#. Six out of 12 of the on-line attempts were initially blocked but found a work around by contacting ACA call-centers.

The estimated fraud of the 11 successes would have (if it was real) cost $30,000 annually.

__________________________________________________________________

I think we can all agree that $30,000 annually is not, in the grand scheme of things, much. But we can also agree that fraud WILL happen any time there is a chance for "free" things. The question is how much fraud has happened and how much is it costing?

Oh my god, they defrauded the system, repeal it, as well as any other program that has waste, fraud, and abuse.

[Felya]

What do you suppose the chances of those investigators being hired by members of the GOP after they had their "Unconstitutional" bullshit overturned by the 4th Circuit Court yesterday?

You are doing the very exact thing you are accusing GOP of doing...

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Hahaha good fucking grief, $30k for 11 people is worth getting up in arms about? It's disappointing McCarthyism is still prevalent in the West

That comment makes absolutely no sense. How exactly are you relating $30k for 11 people to McCarthyism?

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Yeah 30.000 dollars for 11 people going to prison.... i understand losing money is bad... but i think the threat of jail will deter enough people that i am not SUPER concerned... i am more concerned about say, banks laundering money for terrorists and drug cartels... and then getting away with it. That upsets me more.

It's also a problem solved with universal coverage.

[Chrysia]

First of all, characterizing this as a "sting" is disingenuous. This is a perfectly normal function of the GAO that they do with all systems.

Second of all, most of the problems arose from outside contractors hired to handle ACA claims, not any government office.

[Vyxn]

They had all the information necessary for identification. What do you expect the government to do, read their minds and find out its fake that way?

Online sale sites seam to be able to catch people using fake identities and fake credit card numbers why not the government?

[Cthulhu 2020]

Online sale sites seam to be able to catch people using fake identities and fake credit card numbers why not the government?

They really don't. It's easier to trick private businesses because they don't require things like SSN.

[Chrysia]

Online sale sites seam to be able to catch people using fake identities and fake credit card numbers why not the government?

Fun fact: the automated systems did catch them. It was when they got in contact with contractors handling claims that they were approved.

[Vyxn]

There's a difference between fraud and inefficiency. As I'm part of those programs you speak of, I can say that the vast (and I mean VAST) majority aren't fraudulent in any way. We're just inefficient. Every tiny action requires a ton of paperwork and has a million things to consider. Every contractor has huge reports to file every month, as we have massive accountability programs. The only real "fraud" that occurs more than I'm comfortable with is conflict of interest issues when awarding contracts.

an online sales site is able to check your identity and credit card number in less then one minute so don't hand me that crap
this is why the government cant do anything right and or with efficiency. you just made everyone's argument it is best to let the private sector do the job if government cant do it right with efficiency

[Sunseeker]

Online sale sites seam to be able to catch people using fake identities and fake credit card numbers why not the government?

Because they work differently.

Also: private systems catch far less people than they'd like you to believe.

And: they did catch some of the people.

Plus: The article doesn't state that they were "fake identities" or just that they were identities not belonging to them. It just says they were "fake applicants".

[Annoying]

an online sales site is able to check your identity and credit card number in less then one minute so don't hand me that crap
this is why the government cant do anything right and or with efficiency. you just made everyone's argument it is best to let the private sector do the job if government cant do it right with efficiency

Most of us are private sector. I'm a defense contractor. An online site can't differentiate between forged credentials either. The counterfeit documents they used are plenty enough to get a credit card under a fake name, and that same online sales site couldn't tell the person was real either.

It happens all the time.

[Tradewind]

an online sales site is able to check your identity and credit card number in less then one minute so don't hand me that crap
this is why the government cant do anything right and or with efficiency. you just made everyone's argument it is best to let the private sector do the job if government cant do it right with efficiency

If these businesses can do it so well then why is the US the second worst nation in the world when it comes to credit card fraud...

[Felya]

an online sales site is able to check your identity and credit card number in less then one minute so don't hand me that crap
this is why the government cant do anything right and or with efficiency. you just made everyone's argument it is best to let the private sector do the job if government cant do it right with efficiency

The issue of stealing identity to get healthcare, wouldn't be an issue if there was universal coverage. The fact that people need fake IDs, is because our system feeds private enterprise. The IDs exist due to government having to fit the bill of those private companies deem too expensive to bother or too expensive to afford for the individual. When people use ID scams like this, is because they are avoiding private enterprise.

[TITAN308]

The ultimate hand waving thread.

/popcorn

[Tastyfish]

Really need to clarify the names Vs the people, esp the in person ones, also if the ID was totally fabricated or just other peoples.
It's a shame we keep trying to generate paranoia distrust and fear, in what should just be common sense. People can get over on the system, that does not mean tear it down.

[Felya]

Maybe I'm crazy, but this report pushes for universal coverage so these checks wouldn't be needed. I do not see how this pushes for privatized care, when the issue with IDs is people unwilling to pay for privatized care. Without the ability to steal IDs to get care, these people would hit emergency rooms, not an insurance company.

I need an explanation on how cheating the system to avoid privatized care, is any indication that these would not be uninsured pariah, but consumers of private insurance.

[Vyxn]

The issue of stealing identity to get healthcare, wouldn't be an issue if there was universal coverage. The fact that people need fake IDs, is because our system feeds private enterprise. The IDs exist due to government having to fit the bill of those private companies deem too expensive to bother or too expensive to afford for the individual. When people use ID scams like this, is because they are avoiding private enterprise.

The GEO didn't steal any ones identities they created fake ones fake name and fake SSN

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Because they work differently.

Also: private systems catch far less people than they'd like you to believe.

And: they did catch some of the people.

Plus: The article doesn't state that they were "fake identities" or just that they were identities not belonging to them. It just says they were "fake applicants".

do a little experiment create a fake name and fake credit card number and see how far you get
most of you are thinking the GEO used stolen identities they didn't they used fake names and fake SSN