By Peggy McCarthy The federal government will pay for disabled veterans now residing in assisted-living facilities, under a bill passed by Congress in December. But the measure doesn’t cover veterans who may move to such…
By Lisa Chedekel In the last 10 years, the average number of serious deficiencies cited in nursing home inspections in Connecticut has dropped by 50 percent, while reported nurse staffing levels have risen, and reports…
By Kate Farrish Federal officials have fined Paradigm Healthcare Center of New Haven $63,700 for several lapses in care that included one case of a resident’s wound deteriorating so badly that 50 maggots crawled out…
By Lisa Chedekel Connecticut had one of the highest rates in the nation of motor vehicle fatalities in which drivers were alcohol impaired in 2013, the most recent year for which data is available –…
By Peggy McCarthy The Pentagon is not doing enough to make its sexual assault prevention strategy effective, according to a Congressional watchdog agency. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) says the Department of Defense (DOD) has…
By: Cara Rosner The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has backed off a controversial plan that would have changed the way it determines Medicare coverage for advanced prosthetics – a plan critics said would…
By: Peggy McCarthy Very few veterans take advantage of a Pentagon policy designed to make it easier for veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) to upgrade their discharge status and become eligible to apply…
By: Cara Rosner Open enrollment for consumers to buy health insurance through the Access Health CT marketplace begins Sunday, and 2016 will bring considerably steeper fines for consumers who lack insurance. Access Health CT (AHCT),…
Operation Ripped Off Students and Families Applying for College Financial Aid Today, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced it is taking action to halt a nationwide student financial aid scam that allegedly ripped off…
By: Lisa Chedekel A Derby nurse who admitted taking kickbacks from a drug company that makes the powerful painkiller Subsys was pressured by sales representatives to increase her prescribing “so that the Subsys numbers would…
By: Cara Rosner A Stamford-based podiatrist faces hefty fines and prison time after she pleaded guilty this week to submitting fraudulent Medicare claims. Amira Mantoura pleaded guilty Monday in Hartford federal court to one count…
By: Susan Jaffe Federal investigators have found that Medicare officials rarely enforce rules for private insurance plans intended to make sure beneficiaries will be able to see a doctor when they need care. It’s a…
Company to Pay $18 Million to Minority Auto Borrowers, $3 Million to Credit Card Customers The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has taken two separate actions against Fifth Third Bank, for discriminatory auto loan pricing…
By: Gary Stoller Every week for the past 7½ years, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has identified an average of two dietary supplements being sold to consumers that were “tainted” and “potentially hazardous,” a…
Lawsuit Names Individuals Responsible for Bilking $67 million from 21,000 Consumers The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has obtained a preliminary injunction against World Law Group and its senior leaders for running a debt-relief scheme that…
By: Lisa Chedekel All but one of Connecticut’s acute-care hospitals will lose Medicare reimbursement in 2015-16 as a penalty for high readmissions of discharged patients, new federal data show. The penalties against 28 hospitals mean…
Companies Hid Loan Interest Rates and Fees and Deceived Consumers About Other Terms of the Deal The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and the New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) have filed a lawsuit…
Today the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) took action against Citizens Bank for failing to credit consumers the full…
By: Cara Rosner Taking certain prescription painkillers or anxiety medications for long periods of time may increase patients’ risk of death, according to a recent Yale School of Medicine study of veterans. Researchers who examined…
Millions of Consumers Harmed by Bank’s Deceptive Marketing and Unfair Billing of Credit Card Add-On Products and Services, and Other Unlawful Practices The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has ordered Citibank, N.A. and its subsidiaries…