The following story about overcharging at private care homes appeared on page 2 of yesterday’s Daily Mail – before the announcement of the ‘snap election’:
This story has many similarities to the US Department of Justice’s investigation into US Health Insurer United Health’s pilfering of the American public purse in its Medicare programme.
The man who ran the Medicare programme when UnitedHealth allegedly overcharged the American taxpayer by hundreds of millions of dollars was Simon Stevens – current head of NHS England.
According to his current LinkedIn Profile, Stevens was Chief Executive Officer, UnitedHealthcare Medicare between 2006 – 2009
His CV goes on to say:
America’s leading seniors health company, with $30 billion revenues and serving one-in-five Medicare beneficiaries nationwide in partnership with AARP – the world’s largest voluntary organization. Launched the largest Medicare Part D benefits plan, also managing the largest Medicare-focused PBM.
So if Simon Stevens knew about the multimillion dollar fraud cases that took place on his watch – did he declare or disclose any of this to Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt, or to NHS England?
It is now in the public interest for all correspondence between Simon Stevens, NHS England and Jeremy Hunt prior to his 2014 appointment to be made public.
Corporate Takeover
Stevens advised the Department of Health and Blair throughout the period when the NHS was using PFI to build hospitals. So he basically aided and abetted the bankruptcy of the NHS and now looks to be finishing off the job.
Election Issue
This ought to be an election issue. I hope Shadow Health secretary John Ashworth raises this conflict of interests during the campaign.
Can such an individual be trusted to look after the NHS?
Next month former President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso will speak at a Financial Times conference on the Business of Luxury in Lisbon (see bottom of image below).
Barroso’s Lisbon speech will be in stark contrast to his role as Chairman of the UEFA Foundation for Children, designed to help underprivileged kids around the world.
Football can play crucial role in integration of children in society. Honoured to be Chairman of the UEFA Foundation For Children @UEFA
The May speaking engagement is much more in line with his role as Chairman of another organisation — the mega-powerful US Investment Bank for the Ultra Ultra High Net Worth: Goldman Sachs aka Government Sachs aka the Vampire Squid.
Goldman was first labelled the Vampire Squid, due to their parasitic nature, in this 2010 Matt Taibbi article for Rolling Stone Magazine:
The conflict of interests have not gone unnoticed:
@JMDBarroso Crucial role?? @UEFA is just as corrupt as the #FIFA and just as corrupt as you are now working for the corrupt #GoldmanSachs
— 1 tribe of diversity (@UniversalMinded) July 16, 2016
Barroso was severely criticised for joining a bank that had so mercilessly profited from destabilising the Euro, particularly through its dealings with Greece, only 20 months after leaving the top job in European politics..
Revolving Door
Tony Blair received some stick for working for JP Morgan after leaving office.
And Mario Draghi, current head of the European Central Bank was at Goldman while they were making mega profits out of hiding Greece’s debt from the Greek public and from the ECB itself.