In a communication last July from Iowa Right to Life Committee (IRLC) we were informed that “Sue Thayer, former manager of Planned Parenthood’s Storm Lake and LeMars clinics, has sued Planned Parenthood under both the federal and Iowa False Claims acts. The suit alleged that Planned Parenthood knowingly committed Medicaid fraud from 2002 to 2009 by improperly seeking reimbursements from Iowa Medicaid Enterprise and the Iowa Family Planning Network for products and services not legally reimbursable by those programs.”
That suit was dismissed some weeks ago for what amounts to “you must break the law in order to expose law breakers” reasoning by the judge . . . basically requiring a complainant to steal medical records without the protection of a court issued subpoena, break medical records privacy laws by exposing those of specific patients in order to present evidence, jeopardizing the whistle blower to legal prosecution if they had exposed the specific records and the court fails to accept the case for lack of evidence?? Thayer’s credentials, she was a manager of Planned Parenthood clinics and in a position to know, should have been enough to lead to a full trial with sworn testimony from all sides and subpoenaed evidence thus protecting the legitimate privacy rights of specific clients of Planned Parenthood.
Thayer has announced that the legal team that took the case will appeal the ruling. Under court rules she is now more free to talk about more of the specifics. Her letter explaining the matter is set forth in a slightly truncated form here with a key element set forth in bold type.
You may know that Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) filed a whistleblower lawsuit against Planned Parenthood with me as the relator. The suit is based on the fraud and false billing practices which I first reported to Iowa Right to Life while I was still employed at PP in 2008. The total fraud amounts to $28 million and with fines and penalties, PP could be ordered to reimburse the taxpayers as much as $5.5 billion (yes, BILLION). The case was under seal and until recently, I have not been able to talk about it.
Of course, PP was not happy about this (imagine that!) and demanded that I provide specific names, actual dates and amounts of the fraud. Since I did not steal private patient records from PP, I cannot say, for example, that “on June 6, 2008, Jane Doe got 3 cycles of pills and Medicaid was over-billed $—“. Sadly, in January, the judge ruled to dismiss the case.
” . . . Yesterday, ADF filed a pleading asking the judge, basically, to take another look at the case. We have also asked for an oral argument in court. These documents, along with a copy of the actual complaint, are attached. None of these are easy reading, but I wanted to make them available. There was also a former PP co-worker of mine that stepped forward and signed an affidavit which substantiated everything in my complaint. That has also been filed.
Here’s a very brief explanation of the complaint and the fraud:
1. PP “unbundles” abortion charges, billing taxpayers for every aspect of an abortion (lab work, ultrasound, meds, pregnancy test) except that actual abortion itself.
2. C-mail is a program whereby PP sends 3 cycles of pills every 63 days to patients whether they want them or not. Pills are purchased by PP for $2.98 per cycle, billed to taxpayers at $35, PP is reimbursed $23.56 per cycle and then the patient is solicited for a “donation” of $10 per cycle.
3. Nurse practitioners are only in PP clinics a very limited amount of time. Storm Lake had a clinician 2 hours per week. The rest of the time, non-medical people (managers and clinic assistants) would “see” patients and give them birth control supplies. Then a week or so later, the nurse practitioner would sign all the charts as though she had seen the patient.
4. PP frequently “upcodes”. This means they bill for a higher level of care than was actually given to the patient.Up until now, in my public speaking, I have focused mostly on webcam abortion. No more. I will be taking every opportunity to share facts and details about the fraudulent practices of the nation’s largest abortion chain.
I am asking you to join me in prayer, seeking GOD’s favor in this battle. Ask that the judge would have an open mind as he reads the pleadings and that He would rule to reopen the case . . .
With Hope and Trust,
Sue Thayer
[email protected]
www.facebook.com/SueThayer4Life
