Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting: Dozens of Senior Care Homes That Broke Labor Laws Continue to Get Medicaid Funds (December 14, 2019)

This story is the fourth in an investigative series about wage theft and worker exploitation in Medicaid-funded board and care homes in California, Florida, Oregon, and Wisconsin. Companies may be prohibited from collecting Medicaid if they have been convicted of Medicare or Medicaid fraud or patient abuse or neglect, among other offenses. However, the federal agency that administers Medicaid – the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services – does not police whether senior care-home operators comply with wage and hour laws. “Medicaid certification is a privilege, not a right, and payment should depend upon complying with relevant laws,” said Eric Carlson, a directing attorney at Justice in Aging. “Underpaying employees is a red flag for health care quality.” This story also appeared in The New York Times, Washington Post, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Seattle Times, US news and World Report, and the San Diego Union Tribune.