A class action lawsuit alleges that Arizona state leaders knew about a scheme targeting Native Americans seeking treatment for addiction but failed to act. The lawsuit details tragic stories of exploitation and death, highlighting the vulnerability of Native Americans in the state's Medicaid system.
Arizona is still cleaning up the aftermath of a massive Medicaid scandal that defrauded the state for almost $3 billion dollars. We recently told you about a class action lawsuit filed against the state and the complaint reveals tragic stories of Native Americans who wanted to get sober but got caught up in a scheme targeting their addiction.
The complaint shifts the root of the blame to state leaders who allegedly knew about a scam preying on Native Americans back in 2019 and didn’t do enough to stop it. Lawyers say some of the plaintiff’s loved ones died trying to escape fraudulent facilities. 'The state knew about the natives being exploited and natives were getting injured, natives were dying and yet they still funded these folks,' said John Brewer, partner at Brewerwood Law Firm. John Brewer and Dane Wood are two of the lawyers leading a class action complaint against Arizona’s Medicaid agency 'AHCCCS' and the Arizona Department of Health Services. They represent family members of Mackenzie Joseph. The lawsuit says she wanted to get sober and was trying to leave an allegedly fraudulent sober living home for good when she was hit by a car near 91st Avenue and Camelback in January 2023. She was consistently intoxicated, enrolled in several intensive outpatient programs, and housed in different sober living homes until her death, lawyers say. A family member of Randy Ben is also part of the class action complaint. The lawsuit says Ben stayed at a behavioral health residential facility in Phoenix, called BSS Care, LLC. He was found dead at the home back in March. Records from the Department of Health show BSS Care was previously cited and fined for violations, including the failure to ensure four behavioral health technicians had the skills to provide services and failing to ensure a registered nurse was present at the facility or on-call. One story that did not end with death sticks out to the lawyer
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