Planned Parenthood almost got away with alleged fraud in Iowa, until the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a district court’s dismissal of fraud claims by a former employee.
Sue Thayer, who was an office manager at Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, alleges that during her time in Planned Parenthood’s employment, the clinic committed multiple counts of Medicaid fraud and other questionable activity (such as being told to perform sonograms without medical training).
Thayer sued the organization 2011 after after having been dismissed in 2008. She has since become an active pro-life advocate who works to expose Planned Parenthood’s illegal activity in her community. Thayer contends that Planned Parenthood routinely over-billed the state Medicaid program. The Des Moines Register reports:
Thayer contends the Des Moines-based agency filed claims with Medicaid for birth-control pills that were inappropriately prescribed without examinations or that were not given to Planned Parenthood patients.
Thayer also says that the clinic made a habit of billing Meidcaid for more expensive services than what had actually been performed, and claims that Planned Parenthood also billed Meidcaid for services that women paid for with donations.
Initially, a federal district judge dismissed Thayer’s case on the grounds that she had insufficient evidence to back her claim. On appeal, however, the 8th Circuit returned the case to the district court saying that Thayer possesses sufficient evidence “to plead personal, first-hand knowledge of Planned Parenthood’s submission of false claims.” She was the office manager, which gave Thayer an up-close view of the group’s billing practices.
This type of Medicaid fraud is commonplace in Planned Parenthood facilities across the country. In addition to garnering over $1 million in tax revenue per day, the organization rakes in more of the hard-earned income of Americans through Medicaid scams that have essentially become a hallmark of their business. Casey Mattox of Alliance Defending Freedom, the legal group defending Thayer, said that American deserve to know whether their tax dollars are being abused, regardless of their stance on abortion:
No matter what people believe about abortion itself, everyone can agree that Planned Parenthood should play by the same rules as everyone else. We look forward to continuing our defense of the American taxpayer in this case.
State after state is seeing similar allegations by former Planned Parenthood employees who want to expose the organization’s fraudulent tendencies. Planned Parenthood continues to dispute Thayer’s claims, but will have to live up to renewed scrutiny from the district court in light of Friday’s 8th Circuit ruling.
