Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Orthofix: The Beat Goes On!

Bad Karma is well, Bad Karma.  Ever since Orthofix acquired Blackstone Medical, the stars have not been aligned, nor have the Gods been conciliatory, casting pestilence and disease over Lewisville, Texas. No news is good news. Orthofix just cannot stay out of the news.  On September 28th, 2012, the U.S. Attorney charged one Brian Racey, a resident of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and an employee of Orthofix, with one count of Healthcare Fraud.  The charge was levied against the accused in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania for allegedly scheming to submit $250,000 in fraudulent claims that did not meet Medicare guidelines for bone growth stimulators. Is it a wonder why sales have been robust at O'fix?  With all the hoopla surrounding Obamacare and the governments insistence on controlling the cost of healthcare, is it any wonder why the government is policing this industry? Haven't we learned anything? Hasn't this company learned anything? Who knows where all the dead bodies lie?  Haven't the employees at O'fix learned anything? Many will insist that there isn't anything wrong with the system, but as allegations and convictions continue to mount in the O'fix Hall of Shame, the time has come to accept the fact that corruption runs rampant, and until some O'fix executives and physicians are prosecuted and jailed it will be business as usual until the next time.  It's time for the government to stop accepting the old Rudy Giuliani, aka the Sergeant Schultz defense, "I know nothin'!"

The "Physio-Stim," the smoking gun, is only covered by Medicare if a patient has an established non-union of a long bone fracture. Between 2004 and 2011, the government alleges that numerous physicians prescribed bone growth stimulators for patients that did not meet this criteria. During this period  Medicare paid out $250,000 for at least 100 claims submitted by Racey. Mr. Racey is accused of allegedly forging physician chart notes and prescriptions to create the appearance that the orders met Medicare guidelines.  Where does the insanity stop?  On average Racey made a whopping $500 commission per a Medicare paid claim of $3,020.  Based on these numbers, Racey made an estimated $41,000 in commissions.  Mr. Racey violated Title 18, of the United States Code, Section 1347.  Was it worth it?  Can one say treble damages?  Maybe its time that the judicial system in this country stop pandering to white collar criminals and literally throw the book at these people.  Imagine that someone can get 10 years for robbing a gas station for $50 dollars, eighty percent of ten years is an eight year term that must be served if convicted, maybe its time for Mr. Racey to cut a deal?  Someone needs to take down the ship.  What do our readers think? 

49 comments:

  1. Lets all start talking about fat chicks again like on the last blog on CEO of HSS being arrested. Lets all display our ADHD again.Screw this topic.....every dirt bag rep in the industry has cut corners like this guy mentioned. Who are you kidding. In the old days reps would boast about cutting a $8K mess cage 110cm to 40cm's which only cost $800. Please......

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  2. He better cut a deal; but what will he really be facing? If you're complicit with fraud and patients die you get 5-9 months. Ex-Synthes folks are out. Thank goodness transparency and compliance will rule the day. Probably part of the reason Globus will survive. Great technology coming to the masses now that FDA has approved their cervical disc.

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    1. 8:01am (aka Globus rep),

      You sound like you are trying to convince yourself that your shady dealings will somehow go unpunished. Do you really think that the Feds are going to cut you some slack because your company just got FDA approval for a new cervical disc?

      Delete
  3. With no one serving time (like the Synthes-4) behavior will remain status-quo.

    Abbott just received a large monetary "sentence" which is essentially meaningless without putting someone in the poky.

    Abbott Sentenced In Depakote Case

    (RTTNews.com) - U.S. District Court Judge Samuel Wilson of the Western District of Virginia formally sentenced drug maker Abbott Laboratories (ABT) in connection with its previously announced guilty plea related to its off-label promotion of its antiseizure drug Depakote, the U.S. Justice Department said Tuesday.

    Abbott was ordered to pay a criminal fine of $500 million, forfeit another $198.5 million, and pay $1.5 million to the Virginia Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. The drug maker will also be subject to a five-year term of probation.

    In May, Abbott Park, Illinois-based Abbott pleaded guilty and agreed to pay a total of $1.6 billion to settle the criminal and civil claims that arose from past unlawful promotion of Depakote.

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  4. TSB,

    A person who robs a gas station gets a 10 year sentence because he put a loaded gun to another person's head and demanded money. I agree that white collar crime is wrong, but you have to admit that comparing the two as if they are apples-to-apples is a bit ridiculous.

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    1. Unfortunately when you B&E at night and there is no one at the station, but get apprehended you still get 10 years. No harm, no foul, 10 years

      Delete
    2. How many people are killed or injured in gas stations robberies?

      How many are killed and injured due to medical fraud? We know that there have been a lot of injuries due to the illegal use of BMPs.

      The larger problem is the financial incentive to cheat. Maybe commissions should be balanced out with bounties.

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    3. Injuries due to illegal use of BMP's??? Are you refering to the surgeons use? Medtronic or Stryker never performed surgery on any patient.

      Delete
    4. Bally can't hide....Too fat.

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    5. BMPs are no better than bone harvested from the patient.

      The off label use and the false reports to the FDA about their effectiveness is a a matter of public record massive lawsuits and fines. Don't go blaming the surgeons because they got bad information and bad products.

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    6. Oh please. How many surgeons were on the podium selling surgeons in labs, meetings etc.. In the end, who is the captain of the ship, who responsible for the patient..

      Delete
    7. I heard the sentence is longer if you rob a top 5 station such as a Shell, Chevron, Arco, etc. but less if you rob a local, one-off station. Anybody hear about this?

      Delete
  5. The Synthes 4 killed a few people.........

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    1. The Synthes Executives did not kill anyone, the dopey surgeon who listened to some scut boy SUSA rep affected the outcome. The exec's are guilty of violating FDA rules, greed the sum of all fears, sue Wyss' ass and take him to the cleaners.

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  6. This comes as no surprise to those of us who have observed and/or competed against Orthofix over the years. It will also not be the last OF employee charged. A number of physicians have been subpoenaed over the past 24 months to provide testimony against OF reps that have allegedly pulled shenanigans similar to those of Mr. Racey. I know two of these physicians personally and they were required to take time away from their practices, travel on their own dime to the deposition location and engage personal legal counsel. In both of these cases they had no previous knowledge of the corrupt business practices their former OF rep was being accused of. Live and learn once again that if you lie down with dogs, you may get up with fleas.

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  7. Follow the money. I now an O-Fix distributor on the east coast that has more creepy things going on than Rosie O'Donnell's thong.

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    1. Now...that's just plain funny!

      Delete
  8. MSM said, "With all the hoopla surrounding Obamacare and the governments insistence on controlling the cost of healthcare, is it any wonder why the government is policing this industry? Haven't we learned anything? Hasn't this company learned anything? Who knows where all the dead bodies lie? Haven't the employees at O'fix learned anything?"

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    It's said that an industry has to be policed but that's reality. The health care industry in general is poorly regulated and perhaps that is why it has attracted so many shady characters like Bill Frist and Rick Scott. They see a lot of easy prey.

    We need stronger deterrents and oversight. No more slaps on the wrist for these guys. Kick people like Racey out of the industry for life. Boxing has far more integrity than this industry.

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    Replies
    1. Let's admit healthcare is regulated.

      However, Hospital Compliance departments have been fired for taking compliance issues to the Board. Have you ever heard of "see no, hear no, speank no". That is the Board at the hospital where I worked. I worked with a Hospital Purchasing Department that questioned whether they should be purchasing implants from Spinal USA, when it was owned by the surgeons - but the 900 bed hospital had fired it's Compliance Department and the hospital was without a Compliance Department.


      The CEO that initiated the destruction of the institutions Compliance Department intentionally was hired by the ignorant board with experience in selling fast food, used cars and making dinner for there families.

      And the OIG is a "ticket giver". Where is Arnie when we need him? Oh, I forgot. Nevermind.

      What can we expect?

      Do you expect a nurse to call an empty chair about the quality of the device? Do you expect the nurse to call the board member who's caused the board to hire himself and his partners at wages in excess of market value?

      And this Health Care Authority Board is coming to your town next. Healthcare Authorities are exempt from antitrust.

      Anyone know a good vet?

      Delete
  9. I heard that Orthofix is close to acquiring K2M. If true, why would that make sense?

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    1. You answered your own question.
      Not a chance.

      Delete
    2. Ummmm, K2M was acquired already a couple years ago, Pal.

      Delete
  10. So why is this bigger news than the in depth Fortune story about Synthes and Norian, which provides a host of heretofore unknown and unsavory details? It came on line the same week that Wyss was honored as a Swiss hero at their embassy for all the good work he has done for the environment and the poor. As the Germans say: zum kotsen!!!

    "Bad to the bone, a medical horror story" Fortune feature story, available on line
    "Swiss “heroes” honoured in Washington", swissinfo.ch, published on line 21september

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  11. The Cheetah hit a wall today!

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  12. There really is only one solution for these criminals who are putting money before patients.

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    Replies
    1. Make them work for Zimmer? That could be a good deterrent.

      Delete
  13. This is some old news but the execs are getting taken down:

    Former Vice-President of Medical Device Company Convicted of Violating Anti-Kickback Law
    APRIL 9, 2012
    BOSTON - The former vice-president of a medical device company was convicted today in federal court with violating the Anti-Kickback law.

    Thomas P. Guerrieri, 51, of Youngstown, Ohio, pleaded guilty in federal court before U.S. District Judge Rya W. Zobel for violating the Anti-Kickback statute. Guerrieri was the former vice-president of sales at a medical device company that sold bone growth stimulators. His sentencing is scheduled for July 11, 2012 at 2:30 p.m. He faces up to five years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, a $250,000 fine and forfeiture.

    Had the case proceeded to trial, the Government would have proven that Guerrieri facilitated signing up a surgeon in New York to a “consulting” agreement with the company to induce the surgeon to prescribe the company’s bone growth stimulators. The surgeon was paid tens of thousands of dollars by the company, but provided little or no consulting services in return. The surgeon was supposed to document his services in time sheets provided to the company, but for years he did not fill out these forms or provide any legitimate consulting services, even though he was paid every month.

    In or about Aug. 2007, the surgeon became concerned about increased government scrutiny of consulting arrangements such as his. The surgeon, Guerrieri, and a territory manager for the company decided to create and backdate time sheets going back to 2006 to make it appear as though the surgeon filled out these forms contemporaneously and performed legitimate consulting services. In addition, at the surgeon’s request, Guerrieri and the territory manager obtained a letter from the company’s general counsel indicating that the surgeon was compliant under his consulting agreement, which was not true. Guerrieri did these things to induce the surgeon to continue to order bone growth stimulators from the company.

    In addition, Guerrieri and others executed a scheme to pay Michael Cobb, a RI physician’s assistant, for each bone growth stimulator ordered by Cobb. The surgeon had delegated to Cobb the choice of which stimulator his patients received. For years, the device company paid Cobb $50-$100 for each stimulator that his surgeon prescribed. In Sept. 2008, the device company issued a policy expressly prohibiting any payments to anyone who works for a surgeon that prescribes the company’s products. Guerrieri and others were concerned that if they could no longer pay Cobb under the new policy, the company might lose Cobb’s business. Thus, Guerrieri, and others, devised a scheme where Cobb continued to be paid for each order, but the payments were made by a vendor of the device company, making it more difficult to trace the paper trail back to the device company. Cobb is also charged with violating the Anti-Kickback law. His plea hearing is set for April 19, 2012 at 3:15 p.m. before Judge George A. O’Toole, Jr.

    United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz; Susan J. Waddell, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General Office - Office of Investigations; Richard DesLauriers, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation - Boston Field Division; and Leigh-Alistair Barzey, Resident Agent in Charge of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service made the announcement today. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Schumacher and Jeremy Sternberg of Ortiz’s Health Care Fraud Unit.

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    1. Chalk up another one for the good guys!

      Delete
    2. Orthofix Medical Device Exec Awaits Sentencing After Pleading Guilty To Violating Anti-Kickback Law

      The conviction today of a former vice president of sales of the medical device company Orthofix shows the risks that health care providers, medical device, Pharma, and other health care suppliers, and their leaders risk when engaging in consulting arrangements or other dealings that could raise scrutiny as aggressive under federal or state anti-kickback or other health care laws. The prosecution and conviction shows the advisability for health care suppliers, providers and their leaders to carefully evaluate proposed consulting and other arrangements between health care providers and health care providers for potential exposures to prosecution under Federal and State Anti-Kickback, STARK and other health care fraud and referral laws.

      Thomas P. Guerrieri, former vice president of sales of medical device company Orthofix, now faces sentencing on July 11 after pleading guilty earlier today (April 10, 2012) to violating the Anti-Kickback statute. At sentencing, Guerrieri faces up to five years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, a $250,000 fine and forfeiture.

      Federal prosecutors charged that while serving as vice-president of sales at Orthofix, a manufacturer and provider of bone growth stimulator devices, Guerrieri facilitated signing up a surgeon in New York to a “consulting” agreement with the company to induce the surgeon to prescribe the company’s bone growth stimulators. According to federal officials, the company paid the surgeon tens of thousands of dollars when he provided little or no consulting services in return. Federal officials charged that although the surgeon was supposed to document his services in time sheets provided to the company, the company paid him monthly consulting fees for years even though Guerrieri did not fill out these forms or provide any legitimate consulting services.

      Federal officials charged that after the surgeon became concerned about increased government scrutiny of consulting arrangements such as his in 2007, the surgeon, Guerrieri, and a territory manager for the company decided to create and backdate time sheets going back to 2006 to make it seem as though the surgeon filled out these forms contemporaneously and performed legitimate consulting services. In addition, at the surgeon’s request, Guerrieri and the territory manager obtained a letter from the company’s general counsel indicating that the surgeon was compliant under his consulting agreement, which was not true. Federal officials had charged that Guerrieri did these things to induce the surgeon to continue to order bone growth stimulators from the company.

      Federal officials also charged that Guerrieri and others executed a scheme to pay Michael Cobb, a RI physician’s assistant, for each bone growth stimulator ordered by Cobb. The surgeon had delegated to Cobb the choice of which stimulator his patients received. For years, the device company paid Cobb $50-$100 for each stimulator that his surgeon prescribed. In Sept. 2008, the device company issued a policy expressly prohibiting any payments to anyone who works for a surgeon that prescribes the company’s products. Guerrieri and others worried that if they could no longer pay Cobb under the new policy, the company might lose Cobb’s business. Thus, Guerrieri, and others, devised a scheme where Cobb continued to be paid for each order, but the payments were made by a vendor of the device company, making it more difficult to trace the paper trail back to the device company. Cobb is also charged with violating the Anti-Kickback law. Cobb’s plea hearing is set for April 19, 2012. The continuing success of these and other federal health care fraud investigation and enforcement efforts continue to show the need for health care providers and payers to strengthen their compliance practices and documentation to avoid getting caught in the ever tightening health care fraud dragnet.

      Delete
  14. What is the Bear going to do, PODS, rep poaching, Oh No!!

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  15. "NuVasive announced after the bell yesterday that third-quarter revenue was about $147 million, compared with an earlier estimate of about $154 million. The company cited "unusually high account churn" following "aggressive" tactics by the competition."

    To Alex, et al, How does it feel to be the "hunted" now? Looks like the Cheetah can't run fast enough at this point. The comments made above in their press release are humorous as this is SPINE boys, WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE! I believe Axl Rose sang it best:"Welcome to the jungle it gets worse here every day
    Ya learn to live like an animal in the jungle where we play-
    If you hunger for what you see you'll take it eventually-
    You can have everything you want but you better not take it from me-"

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    Replies
    1. MSM, is that you?!?! posting anonymously??

      Delete
  16. Obamacare took a hit in the debates last night, you libs and your trusty leader was a deer in headlights and is waking up this morning wondering what the hell just happened!!

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    1. Obama is still keeping HOPE alive... for the repubs anyway. But he will still be on top after November. Enjoy the the spot light for a week ShittRom.

      Delete
    2. And the fact checker are now tearing Mitt Rawmoney a new one.

      You will seldom see a more shockingly dishonest performance than the Festival of BS that Willard put on last night. But the counterattack is under way:

      When he claimed that "pre-existing conditions are covered under my plan." They're not.

      When he said that President Obama had "cut Medicare by $716 billion to pay for Obamacare." Obama didn't.

      When he denied proposing a $5 trillion tax cut. He did.

      When he said President Obama had "added almost as much to the federal debt as all the prior presidents combined." Not even close.

      When he resurrected "death panels." That was called "one of the biggest whoppers of the night."

      When he stated that half the green energy companies given stimulus funds had failed. Only if three out of nearly three dozen is half.

      Romney is a slick liar.

      Delete
    3. THE COUNTERATTACK AGAINST ROMNEY'S DEBATE LIES ROARS ON
      Courtesy of NPR:

      One of the biggest disputes was over tax cuts. Obama argued that Romney's plan to stimulate the economy includes a tax cut totaling $5 trillion that, Obama said, isn't possible because the Republican nominee is also promising to spend money in other places.

      Romney flatly disputed that number. "First of all, I don't have a $5 trillion tax cut," he said.

      Who's right? The Washington Post's Fact Checker says the facts on this one are on Obama's side. The New York Times notes that Romney "has proposed cutting all marginal tax rates by 20 percent — which would in and of itself cut tax revenue by $5 trillion."

      FactCheck.org has weighed in too, tweeting during the debate that "Romney says he will pay for $5T tax cut without raising deficit or raising taxes on middle class. Experts say that's not possible."

      PolitiFact has given a "mostly true" rating to the charge that "Romney is proposing a tax plan "that would give millionaires another tax break and raise taxes on middle class families by up to $2,000 a year."

      — Has the president put in place a plan that would cut Medicare benefits by $716 billion? Romney says yes. The president says no. According to PolitiFact, Romney's charge is "half true."

      "That amount — $716 billion — refers to Obamacare's reductions in Medicare spending over 10 years, primarily paid to insurers and hospitals," says PolitiFact. So there is a basis for the number. But, it adds, "the statement gives the impression that the law takes money already allocated to Medicare away from current recipients," which is why it gets only a "half true" rating.

      The New York Times writes that Obama "did not cut benefits by $716 billion over 10 years as part of his 2010 health care law; rather, he reduced Medicare reimbursements to health care providers, chiefly insurance companies and drug manufacturers. And the law gave Medicare recipients more generous benefits for prescription drugs and free preventive care like mammograms."

      http://romneytheliar.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-counterattack-against-romneys.html

      Delete
    4. ...and Obama just stood there and looked stupid instead of being informed enough to dispute anything Romney said. The clock is ticking, Mr President. Almost time to go.

      Delete
  17. Romney lied faster than anyone can fact check him.

    Courtesy of Reuters:

    TAX BREAKS FOR SHIPPING JOBS OVERSEAS

    Romney challenged Obama's statement that companies can take a tax deduction for shipping jobs overseas.

    "Look, I've been in business for 25 years. I have no idea what you are talking about. I maybe need to get a new accountant. The idea that you get a break for shipping jobs overseas is simply not the case," Romney said.

    What Obama was actually describing was a tax break for ordinary business expense, including deductions allowed for a company if it closes its plant in the United States and moves it to another country.

    In July, Senate Republicans blocked a Democratic proposal that would have provided a tax credit to companies that move production back to the United States. It also would have ended the tax break that companies can claim when closing a domestic plant, even if operations are moving abroad.

    DOES OBAMA'S PLAN CUT $716 BILLION FROM MEDICARE?

    Romney repeatedly cited a figure of $716 billion - saying Obama would cut that amount from Medicare to fund his healthcare overhaul. That claim has been rejected by Democrats and independent analysts.

    Obama's healthcare law would slow payment increases for hospitals and insurers, something it views as a savings rather than as a cut to Medicare benefits or programs. It does not change the basket of benefits offered to patients.

    The $716 billion figure is a Congressional Budget Office estimate of how much the law would save in Medicare spending from 2013 to 2022, compared with what would have occurred without reform. Those funds would be used to help expand health coverage to more than 30 million uninsured Americans.

    Obama's Affordable Care Act also offers new benefits to the elderly, such as prescription drug rebates and discounts, and preventive tests including mammograms and cancer screenings without copays or deductibles under Medicare Part B, which covers visits to doctors' offices and outpatient clinics.

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    Replies
    1. Seriously, you are either so very stupid or lying. Maybe both? All of what you state above is wrong.

      Delete
    2. It's all been fact checked. Would you like some more facts?

      http://romneytheliar.blogspot.com/2012/10/romney-liar-under-attack-for-his.html

      ROMNEY THE LIAR UNDER ATTACK FOR HIS ***PATHETIC*** DEBATE LIES
      You will seldom see a more shockingly dishonest performance than the Festival of BS that Willard put on last night. But the counterattack is under way:

      When he claimed that "pre-existing conditions are covered under my plan." They're not.

      When he said that President Obama had "cut Medicare by $716 billion to pay for Obamacare." Obama didn't.

      When he denied proposing a $5 trillion tax cut. He did.

      When he said President Obama had "added almost as much to the federal debt as all the prior presidents combined." Not even close.

      When he resurrected "death panels." That was called "one of the biggest whoppers of the night."

      When he stated that half the green energy companies given stimulus funds had failed. Only if three out of nearly three dozen is half.

      CHECK OUT THE LINKS IN THE ORIGINAL TO GET PROOF OF EACH STATEMENT. WILLARD WAS LYING CONSTANTLY IN THE DEBATE, AND HE'S BEING CALLED ON IT.

      http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/10/04/1139793/-Mitt-Romney-Lying-to-victory

      Romney might make a good board member for Orthofix crooks and liars thrive there.

      Delete
    3. The Daily Kos? Obama was 100% truthful? Why can't you post his BS? You're pathetic.

      At least try and not be as lopsided as your head is. Your boy sucked. Deal with it!



      Delete
    4. Hey look what I can do. Me so smart!

      OBAMA: "I've proposed a specific $4 trillion deficit reduction plan. ... The way we do it is $2.50 for every cut, we ask for $1 in additional revenue."

      THE FACTS: In promising $4 trillion, Obama is already banking more than $2 trillion from legislation enacted along with Republicans last year that cut agency operating budgets and capped them for 10 years. He also claims more than $800 billion in war savings that would occur anyway. And he uses creative bookkeeping to hide spending on Medicare reimbursements to doctors. Take those "cuts" away and Obama's $2.50/$1 ratio of spending cuts to tax increases shifts significantly more in the direction of tax increases.

      Obama's February budget offered proposals that would cut deficits over the coming decade by $2 trillion instead of $4 trillion. Of that deficit reduction, tax increases accounted for $1.6 trillion. He promises relatively small spending cuts of $597 billion from big federal benefit programs like Medicare and Medicaid. He also proposed higher spending on infrastructure projects.

      OBAMA: "Gov. Romney's central economic plan calls for a $5 trillion tax cut – on top of the extension of the Bush tax cuts, that's another trillion dollars – and $2 trillion in additional military spending that the military hasn't asked for. That's $8 trillion. How we pay for that, reduce the deficit, and make the investments that we need to make, without dumping those costs onto middle-class Americans, I think is one of the central questions of this campaign."

      THE FACTS: Obama's claim that Romney wants to cut taxes by $5 trillion doesn't add up. Presumably, Obama was talking about the effect of Romney's tax plan over 10 years, which is common in Washington. But Obama's math doesn't take into account Romney's entire plan.

      OBAMA: It's important "that we take some of the money that we're saving as we wind down two wars to rebuild America."

      THE FACTS: This oft-repeated claim is based on a fiscal fiction. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were paid for mostly with borrowed money, so stopping them doesn't create a new pool of available cash that can be used for something else, like rebuilding America. It just slows down the government's borrowing.

      OBAMA: "Independent studies looking at this said the only way to meet Gov. Romney's pledge of not ... adding to the deficit is by burdening middle-class families. The average middle-class family with children would pay about $2,000 more."

      THE FACTS: That's just one scenario. Obama's claim relies on a study by the Tax Policy Center, a Washington research group. The study, however, is more nuanced than Obama indicated.

      The study concludes it would be impossible for Romney to meet all of his stated goals without shifting some of the tax burden from people who make more than $200,000 to people who make less.

      In one scenario, the study says, Romney's proposal could result in a $2,000 tax increase for families who make less than $200,000 and have children.

      Romney says his plan wouldn't raise taxes on anyone, and his campaign points to several studies by conservative think tanks that dispute the Tax Policy Center's findings. Most of the conservative studies argue that Romney's tax plan would stimulate economic growth, generating additional tax revenue without shifting any of the tax burden to the middle class. Congress, however, doesn't use those kinds of projections when it estimates the effect of tax legislation.

      Delete
    5. hey its a spine blog can you go out and sell something, heard nuvasive is hiring, ps Congress has a republican majority

      Delete
  18. Look you guys, I support Obama, you support Romney, more power to you. Can we talk spine for awhile?

    Thanks

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  19. On October 12, 2012, I had cervical spine surgery, and my surgeon's office handed me an ORTHOFIX Cervical-Stim Bone Growth Stimulator equipment. They told my wife and I that we would only be responsible for our normal co-pay. It turns out that this was a complete lie. They knew that anyone with Blue Cross Blue Shield would refuse coverage for this equipment. But since we signed for it, now we will be stuck with the $5,000 bill for this device. We tried to return it to the office, but they will not accept it. We are so upset about this. I think this is a complete scam, but I don't know what I can do about it now.

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  20. AMIR Heshmatpour is the biggest CON man CON artist PIECE of SHIT Liar in this world. HE deserves to GO TO PRISION for rest of his life and believe me I am confident he will.

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    1. Amir Heshmatpour has ripped off tons of money from people and really shows no signs of stopping. He presents this luxurious life he has, but don't forget, so did Bernie Madoff! Amir is spending his clients money to look like a bigshot. Just look at all the lawsuits, complaints and negative reviews there are about him - do you think that's normal to find on the CEO of a company entrusted to protect people's money? Absolutely not. Don't walk, RUN if Amir Heshmatpour from AFH Holding & Advisory of Beverly Hills, CA approaches you about any sort of investment!!!!!!!!

      Delete
  21. People can bullshit all they want to. I work for Nuvasive and have found them to be a world class company. Have seen nothing but honesty, integrity, and good leadership. We will continue to completely take over this market and bury all competitors.

    ReplyDelete