matt07302 wrote:
Mickey McCabe is continually being used as the face of this deal, but he is not. He is the minority holder at 30% and the real brass behind the deal is CarePoint. We know that they have turned Bayonne into the most expensive hospital in the country and in a move to expand their business model throughout the area they have purchased Christ and Hoboken Hospitals. Events that should cause concern for those that care about quality affordable health services.

I think this denial of application for Managed Care speaks volumes as to who CarePoint is. The NJ Office of the Attorney General didn't just deny CarePoint, they eviscerated them.

July 29, 2013

DMAHS remains Concerned about CerePo?nt?s continuing pattern of misrepresentation to State agencies about its readiness, its competencies, its corporate ownership and its failure to accept responsibility for prior misrepresentations. Given the importance of this contract to thousands of New Jersey's poorest and most vulnerable citizens and the impact on their health care and decisions about their health care, DMAHS cannot currently grant CarePoint a MCO contract.

and it gets better?

As part of its due diligence, MFD investigators performed background checks on all named individuals and corporate entities, disclosed in the application. On the ?Disclosure Statement of Ownership and Control Interest," Sequoia Healthcare Services, LLC (?Sequoia?) is acknowledged as the 100% controlling interest. However, Sequoia is not identified or mentioned in the entire MCO application. Given CarePoint?s corporate structure, including ownership by an entity with only addresses end a name, as well as its improper and omitted identification concerning its chief medical officer, and finally its lack of permanent experienced corporate staff with a solid financial and professional track record, DMAHS cannot reasonably find adequate indicia of the requisite stability for such a high risk contract. Based on MFD?S factual findings, DMAHS believes that CarePoint made misrepresentations about its corporate ownership structure and responsible persons. Sequoia appears to be only an address, or a post office box for a phantom corporate entity. Perhaps a legitimate corporate entity will be established in the near future however, CarePoint's statement that it is 100% owned by Sequoia obscures its current corporate status and misrepresents its readiness to enter into a large scale contract.


link from post #177:
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B-wndx ... VpCWi1DVEVrQVU/edit?pli=1

nyrgravey9 wrote:
Finally, a common sense article for you knuckleheads. It's not a strawman argument, or whatever the hell is you people come up with to deflect from your paltry positions. It goes to show just how out of whack the media's, and most your, priorities are.

Wall Street journal, suckas

luvHomeMyJC wrote:
Quote:

JCMan8 wrote:
Why can't someone create some honest robots to govern things?

I fully get the frustration and the sentiment but "honest" and "robots" can't go together. Robots will only do what they are programmed to do so the "honesty" will depend on the corporation that defines the "honesty". Kindof like right now ... only the corporations control DC and developers control local city halls. So in a way we do have robots with a facade of - we the people, of the people, for the people.

As in every tale the almighty fairy godmother says - be careful what you wish for :)

JPhurst wrote:
JCMC was last a city entity 25 years ago. It was it's own not-for profit, then it became part of the Liberty Healthcare System which is now part of the St. Barnabas Health Network. Although these are non-profits, they are huge health networks.

There are reasonable arguments for preferring JCMC to the McCabe bid. But the arguments that certain people are making for JCMC are becoming more and more specious.

If all that effort had gone into a better bid....

Bogart wrote:
Quote:

Nonsense, especially that it was TODAY that Obama's Justice Department appointed someone to lead the investigation into political abuse by Obama's IRS in an election year.

Do you have a source for that? First I've heard of it.

luvHomeMyJC wrote:
I sincerely hope that only financially sound and capable people are able to secure a mortgage and not fall into the traps of "I make $10/hr yet I can get a $500k home" schemes that saw the ruin of many households.

Having said that, the prices jumping back is a good sign for existing home owners implying any (and there are many) under water homes are getting back into the black and equity is starting to rebuild.

Now if we can just do something about these damn property taxes. Just yesterday in the news the gov of NY in his state of union promised another cut in property taxes and we saw a hike just last year. Now the county is talking about a court house project with another tax increase. No wonder latest numbers show a migration of residents out of new jersey.

Read the news lately about Democrats Sweeney and Fulop lately? Democrat vs Republican, or Republican vs Democrat-somewhat expected.

Democrat vs Democrat calling each other out? Truly pathetic. And on the sideline is Christie, who has already backed Fulop on this issue. Sorta, kinda takes the wind out of Fulop's anti-Christie screed, no?

Bogart wrote:
Non-stop coverage on MSNBC; Fox mentioned the story once during 3:00 PM show. What a country.

PremiumContent wrote:
So are PATH "signal failures" really Christie sticking it to the people in Hudson and Essex county who didn't vote for him?

jmiz wrote:
Since we're normally at one another's throats here, nothing can bond us together like an outsider sharing his two cents about a city and striking out on every single point he's trying to make.

nyrgravey9 wrote:
Fool-op is just the proverbial tallest midget.

I really wish someone took me up on my bet. I totally called it.

PathH8Tr wrote:
Quote:

JCMan8 wrote:
Quote:

PathH8Tr wrote:
Quote:

JCMan8 wrote:
I voted for Fulop with enthusiasm but I am starting to regret that decision. It seems like all he does is try to be in the state spotlight to showcase his worth for higher political office.

That, and he wants to switch the ambulance contract from in-network JCMC to out of network McCabe who will charge residents lots more $$$$ for the same service.

Healy was a political corrupt hack but at least he actually cared about the people of JC and not solely his own ambitions. When you think about it, this last JC mayor election increasingly seems like a choice between two godawful candidates.

You have got to be kidding me. Wow. Dude. You are a piece of work. The amount of things Fulop has done in less than a year compared to Healy? Just, wow. I can't even argue it's not worth it.

The truth is that most of my upsetness comes from how aggressively Fulop is pushing the McCabe contract without explaining any details about it. I don't think I'll be needing an ambulance any time soon, but if Fulop gets his way, an ambulance ride may cost up to $2,000.

This is not an exaggeration, just read any article that discusses out of network bills and rates for ambulance rides. And McCabe operates the most expensive hospital in the country (in Bayonne). Also, they donated to Fulop's campaign.

All Fulop has to do is release some kind of statement that would discuss the estimated cost difference to residents. Yes, everyone has different insurance plans, so the cost of a JCMC ambulance ride will vary, but since McCabe is out of network, I'd imagine everyone will be getting an extremely hefty bill. All this for a potential maximum payment to the city of $2 million.

In the rare event this benefit is transferred to residents in the form of lower taxes, it will be completely offset by the huge ambulance bills JC residents will receive.

Sorry to go off-topic, but in my opinion the atrocious way Fulop is handling the ambulance situation reflects extremely poorly on his character, and makes me regret voting for him.

So who do you wish you voted for instead? And where do you think we'd be now with someone else? Curious.

PathH8Tr wrote:
Quote:

JCMan8 wrote:
I voted for Fulop with enthusiasm but I am starting to regret that decision. It seems like all he does is try to be in the state spotlight to showcase his worth for higher political office.

That, and he wants to switch the ambulance contract from in-network JCMC to out of network McCabe who will charge residents lots more $$$$ for the same service.

Healy was a political corrupt hack but at least he actually cared about the people of JC and not solely his own ambitions. When you think about it, this last JC mayor election increasingly seems like a choice between two godawful candidates.

You have got to be kidding me. Wow. Dude. You are a piece of work. The amount of things Fulop has done in less than a year compared to Healy? Just, wow. I can't even argue it's not worth it.

Monroe wrote:
Quote:

hero69 wrote:
some republicans would say christie is a sell-out

Yes, that's true. The same thing is said about Obama re: Gitmo, NSA spying, random drone murders from the far left. The furthest from center will never be happy with those in the center.

The left, currently, is trying to play this up to position Christie as unsupportable in the primaries. Not surprising they want to derail his ascent, as they fear him the most among Republicans.

Pebble wrote:

The people that live in the Beacon do not live in the area. They live in the Beacon.

Monroe wrote:
I love the buildings, and like the idea of an anchor to bring the neighborhood up-but I'd let others homestead the area before I'd ever buy or rent there. My g/f is in the Foundry, and in the couple of years I've been dating her the area hasn't progressed, and may have backslid. Three shootings nearby in the last couple of months . . .

HKHiggs wrote:
Great tips, thank you.

We will definitely be bringing our car from Seattle, so maybe that'll help getting around the area if we choose the Heights (which I'm definitely intrigued about after all the feedback).

I will have lots of meetings in the city, both in Midtown as well as Downtown, so I'm not sure if that still means the Heights is a good option for us.

Also, cliche, I know, but our five year plan is to have a kid in tow and it seems the proximity to Hoboken schools (which look like they fare better than JC schools) also makes the Heights more attractive.

Thanks for the help once again, everyone!

FunInWardF wrote:
Anyone get a sense of why the Fulop administration wants this change to begin with? Is it simply the novel of having an additional $2 mil in the city coffers...or is there a backstory that isn't getting reported?

dtjcview wrote:
Two simple points:

- Insidious inferences made from statistics are not "facts". People don't have an issue with the stats, but with the warped opinion creating those inferences.
- Calling people "delusional" is an angry label.

I think you should put on your lederhosen and accept that beer invite. I heard there was some fun slapping going on...



Quote:

JCMan8 wrote:
Quote:

fat-ass-bike wrote:
racismPronunciation: /?re?s?z(?)m/

noun
[mass noun]the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics, abilities, or qualities specific to that race, especially so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races:
theories of racism?prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one?s own race is superior:
a programme to combat racism

I see some of you can perform google searches. Too bad you can't understand the results.

People are decrying the African American culture. The black race as a whole is not any inferior to any other. Just look at African immigrants, who come to America and have much higher employment & income, and much less crime.

I should quote the dictionary definition of delusional. "A delusion is a belief held with strong conviction despite superior evidence to the contrary. " When faced with facts, not opinions, that cannot be ignored, delusional folks can't handle the truth and resort to angry labels, all to make themselves feel better about things.

fat-ass-bike wrote:
racismPronunciation: /?re?s?z(?)m/

noun
[mass noun]the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics, abilities, or qualities specific to that race, especially so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races:
theories of racism?prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one?s own race is superior:
a programme to combat racism

JPhurst wrote:
I give lots of credit to Al Sullivan for that article. It is very informative, and presents both sides of the issue while not simply quoting each side for their most ridiculous hyperbole.

A few things I think are notable.

1. JCMC basically admits that it was previously charging millions of dollars for the services not because that's what they cost, but because they were losing money all around and needed to use the ambulance service to make a profit. Had this not been opened up to competitive bidding I suspect they would have continued to bill the city. From a purely rational standpoint I understand that you don't punish JCMC for this fact if their bid is, in fact, superior. But it leaves a bitter taste in the mouth. And no matter how this turns out, the city did the right thing by sending out the Request for Proposals.

2. Sullivan's article is the only one that has cogently explained how the Medicare/Medicaid anti-kickback law applies.

3. I find it a little curious that people are saying it is inappropriate for McCabe to rely on technology for dispatch because you need drivers who know the city. First of all, most of the drivers will be the same. They will just be re-hired. Second, when I toured the JCMC a few years ago, it's "command center" technology was one of the most impressive parts of the visit. They place their ambulances based on where the data shows the "hot spots" are at particular times. That is what leads to the good response time.

4. McCabe seems to deride that JCMC places its ambulances on the street, rather than these central garages they will build. But doing so allows for flexibility in dispatch.

5. I really cannot believe how much traction the "130 years of service" has gotten. The entities providing service under the "JCMC" label are completely different. At one point it was a city operation, at one point it was a non-profit. And the idea that these drivers are some semi-immortal Highlanders who know all the ins and outs of Jersey City, but will somehow forget that once they drive a McCabe ambulance doesn't make sense. JCMC's parent isn't even based in Jersey City, for goodness sake.

dtjcview wrote:

Quote:

JCMan8 wrote:
....
Part of this has to do with the fathers getting arrested, but this is largely a cultural problem. Many black women feel no need to have a father figure for their kids or to get married. This NBC article does a GREAT job covering this issue.

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/39993685/ns ... others-rate/#.UraKGrQWmMM

...

From the NBC article...
Quote:

The legacy of segregation, the logic goes, means blacks are more likely to attend inferior schools. This creates a high proportion of blacks unprepared to compete for jobs in today's economy, where middle-class industrial work for unskilled laborers has largely disappeared.

The drug epidemic sent disproportionate numbers of black men to prison, and crushed the job opportunities for those who served their time. Women don't want to marry men who can't provide for their families, and welfare laws created a financial incentive for poor mothers to stay single.

Implies it's more down to poverty, discrimination and bad sentencing/welfare policies, than your notion of a "cultural problem".

Here's a related interesting read:
http://www.salon.com/2013/12/21/how_a ... ned_its_undeserving_poor/

Vigilante wrote:
I think that if there is a problem strictly related to "black culture" then I think you would have to consider all the factors that contribute to it. Others have mentioned slavery but one should also consider institutional racism, slanted court systems, poverty and lack of parental guidance. Of the 8 people I have helped the police catch and arrest 5 were Hispanic, 2 were white and 1 was black.