Fraud contaminating free Mass. health-care pool: Inspector general uncovers millions paid for fake claims

The Boston Herald reports:

Gaping loopholes in the program that covers poor uninsured Bay Staters have cost taxpayers tens of millions in bogus claims from out-of-staters and foreigners —not to mention gynecological bills for men and foot X-rays for headaches, according to the commonwealth’s inspector general.

“We’re finding overpayments, double payments and medically unnecessary payments,” Massachusetts Inspector General Gregory Sullivan said of his office’s scathing review of the state’s so-called Uncompensated Care Pool obtained by the Herald. “When the state set up the free-care pool, it was supposed to have the most cutting-edge anti-fraud system to go along with it, but it’s not up and running, and because of that, many millions of dollars are being wasted.”

The fund spent $414 million on emergency health care for nearly 1 million claims in 2009

Yet, modern day liberals worry about private health insurers being "inefficient".