RECORDS
Probe: Bogus enrollees kept getting ‘Obamacare’
Thursday, July 16, 2015
By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Phony appli-
cants that investigators signed up last
year under President Barack Obama’s
health care law got automatically re-en-
rolled for 2015. Some were rewarded
with even bigger taxpayer subsidies for
their insurance premiums, a congres-
sional probe has found.
The
nonpartisan
Government
Accountability Of¿ce says 11 coun-
terfeit characters that its investigators
created last year were automatically
re-enrolled by HealthCare.gov, even
though most had unresolved documen-
tation issues. In Obama’s terms, they
got to keep the coverage they had.
Six of those later were Àagged and
sent termination notices. But GAO said
it was able to get ¿ve of them reinstated
by calling HealthCare.gov’s consumer
service center. That seemed to be a
weak link in the system.
The ¿ve bogus bene¿ciaries who
were reinstated even got their monthly
subsidies bumped up a bit, although
GAO did not ask for it. The case of the
sixth fake enrollee who appealed was
under review.
HealthCare.gov does not appear to
be set up to detect fraud, GAO audits
and investigations chief Seto Bagdoyan
said in prepared testimony for a Senate
Finance Committee hearing Thursday.
A copy was provided to The Associated
Press.
HealthCare.gov’s
document-pro-
cessing contractor “is not required to
seek to detect fraud,” said Bagdoyan.
“The contractor personnel involved in
the document-veri¿cation process are
not trained as fraud experts and do not
perform antifraud duties.”
Administration of¿cials told GAO
there has been “no indication of a mean-
ingful level of fraud” in the program,
Bagdoyan said.
Federal health care subsidies go
directly to insurers, so the money does
not end up in the bank accounts of indi-
vidual enrollees. But health insurance is
a valuable product in and of itself, with
the cost of family coverage averaging
close to $17,000 a year.
Finance
Committee
chairman
Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said the GAO’s
AP Photo/Don Ryan, File
This Nov. 2014 file photo shows the HealthCare.gov website, where peo-
ple can buy health insurance.
investigation reveals “negligence” by
the Obama administration, which “calls
into question the legitimacy of the
health law’s enrollment numbers and
challenges the integrity of the website’s
security checks.”
Last year, when GAO ¿rst disclosed
that it had succeeded in signing up fake
bene¿ciaries, the administration said it
would work to strengthen HealthCare.
gov’s veri¿cation checks. Administra-
tion of¿cials had no initial comment
Wednesday on GAO’s latest ¿ndings.
HealthCare.gov is an online insur-
ance marketplace used by residents
of 37 states to get subsidized private
coverage under the health care law.
Although the administration has
terminated coverage for more than
200,000 people who could not prove
their citizenship or legal immigrant
status, and some 300,000 have had their
subsidies changed because of discrep-
ancies over reported income, GAO’s
bogus bene¿ciaries largely evaded that
dragnet.
It’s unclear whether the ¿ctitious
enrollees would have been kicked out
of the program eventually. For example,
no tax returns were ¿led on behalf of
any of them. Since health insurance
subsidies are income-based, tax returns
are one of the main ways the govern-
ment checks applicants.
GAO’s investigation also uncovered
a problem that bedevils millions of real
people dealing with the program’s new
bureaucracy: confusing and inaccurate
communication.
Investigators said their bogus
enrollees received unclear correspon-
dence that failed to identify the prob-
lems with their applications.
“Rather than stating a message
directly, correspondence instead was
conditional or nonspeci¿c, stating the
applicant may be affected by something,
and then leaving it to the applicant to
parse through details to see if they were
indeed affected,” said Bagdoyan.
The fake enrollees also got some
perplexing instructions from Health-
Care.gov. Eight of the 11 were asked
to submit additional documentation to
prove their citizenship and identity. But
the list of suitable paperwork detailed
documents for verifying income
instead.
The 11 bogus bene¿ciaries were part
of a larger group of 18 that GAO tried to
sign up last year. They’re the ones who
got through and were automatically
re-enrolled for 2015.
Overall, about 10 million people
are getting coverage this year through
HealthCare.gov and state health insur-
ance markets. GAO said the results of
its undercover testing, while illustra-
tive, cannot be generalized to the full
population of applicants and enrollees.
THURSDAY, JULY 16
WALKING FOR WELLNESS,
umentary about the 35th anniver-
sary of the Native occupation of
Alcatraz Island will be followed by
discussion and complimentary re-
freshments. Free. (www.tamasts-
likt.org).
8:30-9:30 a.m., Pendleton Rec-
reation Center, 510 S.W. Dorion
Ave. (541-276-8100).
PRESCHOOL STORY AND
CRAFT TIME, 10:30 a.m., Mil-
BOARDMAN SENIOR MEAL
SERVICE, 12 noon, Boardman
Senior Center, 100 Tatone St.,
Boardman. Costs $4 for seniors
55 and older and $5 for adults.
(541-481-3257).
PENDLETON SENIOR MEAL
SERVICE, 12 noon, Pendleton
Senior Center, 510 S.W. 10th St.
Costs $3.50 for seniors, $6 for
those under 60. Includes pool,
puzzles, crafts, snacks, Second
Time Around thrift store 9 a.m. to
1 p.m. For Meals On Wheels call
CAPECO at 541-276-1926. (541-
276-7101).
SEAHAWKS 12TH MAN FLAG
CEREMONY, 12 noon gates open,
12:30 ceremony begins, Pend-
leton Round-Up Grounds, 1205
S.W. Court Ave. Celebrate the
Seahawks with the raising of the
WK0DQÀDJZLWKZLGHUHFHLYHUV
Ricardo Lockette and B.J. Dan-
iels, the Sea Gals and the Blue
Thunder Band.
SKILLS FOR LIFE, 3-5 p.m.,
Pendleton Recreation Center, 510
S.W. Dorion Ave. Includes gym
activities and life skills for middle
and high school students. Free,
but registration requested. (Danny
Bane 541-379-4250).
MAKERSPACE, 4-5 p.m.,
Pendleton Public Library, 502
S.W. Dorion Ave. Children ages
3 and up create, design and ex-
periment with a variety of tools,
STEM challenges and education-
al games.
GIRL POWER: LADY HEROES
OF HISTORY, 4 p.m., Pendleton
Public Library, 502 S.W. Dorion
Ave. For ages 3-12. Come
dressed as your favorite hero and
learn about wicked awesome la-
dies of history. Prize drawing for
lady scientist LEGO kit and one
Goldie Blocks set. Free, but regis-
tration required. (541-966-0380).
THE ARC UMATILLA COUNTY
BINGO, 6 p.m. doors open, bingo
starts at 7 p.m. 215 W. Orchard
Ave., Hermiston. (541-567-7615).
REVISED FOREST PLAN PUB-
LIC WORKSHOP, 6-9 p.m., Ukiah
School gymnasium, 201 Hill St.
Representatives from the Umatil-
la National Forest and High Des-
ert Partnership will discuss for-
est access and how it should be
addressed in the Revised Forest
Plan. (Jack Southworth 541-542-
2558, Peter Fargo 541-523-1231
or Joani Bosworth 541-278-3722).
FIDDLER’S NIGHT, 6:30-8:30
p.m., Hermiston Terrace Assisted
Living, 980 W. Highland Ave. Join
jam session or just listen. Refresh-
ments served. (541-567-3141).
FIRST DRAFT WRITERS’ SE-
RIES, 7 p.m., Pendleton Center for
the Arts, 214 N. Main St., Pendle-
ton. Gathering features readings
by Ki Russell and Shaindel Beers;
participants can sign up for open
mic time of 3-5 minutes. (541-278-
9201).
PUBLIC SAFETY LOG
TUESDAY
•An Echo caller at 9:12 a.m. reported vehicles “always blow
the stop sign” next to her house on West Bridge Street. The
FDOOHUDOVRLGHQWL¿HGDGULYHUZKROLYHVQHDUE\DVRQHFXOSULWDQG
she said she would like to sign a complaint.
•Frightened campers at 9:51 a.m. asked the Umatilla County
6KHULII¶V2I¿FHIRUKHOS$ZRPDQVDLGQHLJKERULQJFDPSHUV
threatened to shoot her and her friend and to hang her son’s
dog. She said they were camping at the North Fork Umatilla
River and South Fork Umatilla River, and they would wait for a
sheriff’s deputy at Cayuse and North Cayuse roads.
•A man at 10:39 a.m. reported the theft of sprinkler
heads from his farm land at Appleton Road and Highway 11,
Milton-Freewater.
•If you see a white sedan with tinted windows and a black
pinstripe, you might want to call police. A caller at 12:46 p.m.
said the car was near the Pendleton Family Aquatic Center,
1901 N.W. Carden Ave., Pendleton, and a male driver inside
was pleasuring himself. She said he left and headed eastbound
RQ&DUGHQSROLFHZHUHQRWDEOHWR¿QGWKHFDU
•A woman at 2 p.m. asked the Umatilla County Sheriff’s
2I¿FHWRVHQGVRPHRQHWRFKHFNRQKHUIULHQGLQWKH+HUPLVWRQ
area who told her little people were in her house and took keys
and broke the dishwasher.
‡$QHPSOR\HHRIWKHDFFRXQWLQJ¿UP5HDG%RVH6(
Dorion Ave., Pendleton, called police at 2:46 p.m. about a male
in a car the business’ parking lot. He did not have permission
to be there, the employee said, and he was using binoculars to
look at the hotel next door.
•A Pilot Rock man at 4:50 p.m. told Pendleton police he lost
his Smith & Wesson EG 380 Bodyguard semiautomatic pistol
in the parking lot of the Wal-Mart Supercenter, 2203 S.W. Court
Ave., Pendleton.
•An employee of Rent-A-Center, Hermiston, asked for a
Umatilla County sheriff’s deputy at about 5:35 p.m. to force
someone on North Ott Road to open their residence so he
FRXOGUHSRVVHVVLWHPV7KHVKHULII¶VRI¿FHFRQVLGHUHGWKLVDFLYLO
problem.
‡$PDQUHWXUQLQJIURP¿UH¿JKWLQJFDOOHG6WDQ¿HOGSROLFHDW
11:46 p.m. after his father kicked him out for refusing to buy
DOFRKRO7KH¿UH¿JKWHUDVNHGIRUKHOSDQGVDLGKHOLYHGWKHUHDOO
his life and has no where else to go.
•An Irrigon resident at 11:58 p.m. reported a drunk driver
was on her yard on Southeast Fourth Street and had hit the
neighbor’s car. There was no indication of an arrest or citation.
ARRESTS, CITATIONS
•Pendleton police arrested Tyson Allen Wallace, 34,
of 71485 Schroeder Road, Pendleton, for possession of
methamphetamine.
OBITUARY POLICY
The East Oregonian publishes paid obituaries. The obituary can in-
clude small photos and, for veterans, a flag symbol at no charge.
Obituaries may be edited for spelling, proper punctuation and style.
Expanded death notices will be published at no charge. These in-
clude information about services.
Obituaries and notices can be submitted online at www.eastorego-
nian.com/obituaryform, by email to obits@eastoregonian.com, by fax
to 541-276-8314, placed via the funeral home or in person at the East
Oregonian office.
For more information, call 541-966-0818 or 1-800-522-0255, ext. 221.
DEATH NOTICES
Ronald Lee Rupe
Ronald Lee Rupe, 74, of Hermiston died Tuesday, July
14, 2015, at his home. He was born Oct. 13, 1940, in Grand
Junction, Colo. Burns Mortuary of Hermiston is in care of
arrangements. Sign the online guest book at burnsmortua-
ryhermiston.com
STRAIGHT TALK WITH BECKY
MARKS, 2-4 p.m., Prodigal Son
ton-Freewater Public Library, 8
S.W. Eighth Ave., Milton-Freewa-
ter. (Lili Schmidt 541-938-8247).
Senior Center, 435 W. Orchard
Ave. Costs $4 for adults, children
over 10 and Meals on Wheels
home delivery; free for children
under 10. Extra 50 cents if center
provides table service or dishes.
Transportation can be arranged
by donation. (541-567-3582).
EO file photo
There will be a goathead roundup Saturday at Olney
Cemetery in Pendleton from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Bring a
grocery bag full of puncture vine (goathads) with the
roots and receive $1 per bag
FRIDAY, JULY 17
WALKING FOR WELLNESS,
8:30-9:30 a.m., Pendleton Rec-
reation Center, 510 S.W. Dorion
Ave. (541-276-8100).
BOARDMAN SPLASH PAD
GRAND OPENING AND RIBBON
CUTTING, 10 a.m., N.E. Front St.,
Boardman. New splash pad will
be dedicated and snow cones will
be served.
HEPPNER FARMER’S MAR-
KET, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Heppner
City Park. Food, craft and garden
vendors. (541-676-8957).
STORY TIME, 10:15-11 a.m.,
Hermiston Public Library, 235 E.
Gladys Ave. (541-567-2882).
TODDLER
STORY
TIME,
10:15-10:45 a.m., Pendleton
Public Library, 502 S.W. Dorion
Ave. (541-966-0380).
PENDLETON FARMERS MAR-
KET, 4 p.m. to dusk, 300 block
South Main Street, Pendleton.
Browse fresh produce, meats,
baked goods and plants, locally
crafted jewelry and items for the
home. EBT, debit and credit cards
welcome. (pendletonfarmersmar-
ket.net).
NIGHT AT THE CHILDREN’S
MUSEUM, 5-8:30 p.m., Chil-
dren’s Museum of Eastern Ore-
gon, 400 S. Main St., Pendleton.
Parents get a night out and kids
get dinner, games, crafts and a
movie. Costs $20 members/$25
non-members, $10 for each ad-
ditional child. Preregistration re-
quired. (541-276-1066).
GOSPEL CONCERT, 7 p.m.,
Columbia
View
Community
Church, 1230 E. Highway 730,
Irrigon. Chrysta and Brandon
Beene will perform. Free, but a
free-will offering will be taken.
(Marilyn 541-922-3319).
MUSIC IN THE PARK, 7-9 p.m.,
McKenzie Park, 320 S. First St.,
Hermiston. Featured performer:
Brass Fire Band. Bring a chair or
blanket.
MOVIES IN THE PARK, 8:30
SPGXVN%DUG3DUN6WDQ¿HOG
Enjoy a family-friendly movie for
free. Bring lawn chairs or a blan-
ket.
SATURDAY, JULY 18
GREENFIELD
GRANGE
BREAKFAST, 7-10 a.m., 209 N.W.
First St., Boardman. Cost is $5 for
adults, $2.50 for children under
10. (541-720-7267).
GOATHEAD ROUNDUP, 8 a.m.
to 1 p.m., Olney Cemetery, 865
Tutuilla Road, Pendleton. Bring a
grocery bag full of puncture vine
(goatheads) WITH the roots and
receive $1 per bag. (Sue Peters-
en 541-377-0752).
HERMISTON’S OWN FARM-
ERS MARKET, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.,
McKenzie Park, 300 S. First St.,
Page 5A
Hermiston
Oct. 13, 1940-July 14, 2015
COMING EVENTS
HERMISTON SENIOR MEAL
SERVICE, 12 noon, Hermiston
East Oregonian
Hermiston. Food, crafts, live mu-
sic, art.
RHYTHMIC MODE CAR WASH
FUNDRAISER, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.,
Dave’s Chevron, 220 S.W. 12th
St., Pendleton. Cost is by dona-
tion. (Joni 541-377-1333).
KIDS’ ART IN THE PARK, 9
a.m. to noon, McKenzie Park,
320 S. First St., Hermiston. Free
kids’ art activities for ages 6-17.
All supplies provided, drop in,
make it and take it home.
LINE DANCING WORKSHOP,
9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Pendleton Cen-
ter for the Arts, 214 N. Main St.
Learn several dances, musical
genres and rhythms including
waltz, cha-cha, swing and salsa.
One-hour break for lunch; bring
your own or submit to-go orders
through the center. Cost is $25
if registered by July 10, $30 at
the door. Water will be provided,
drinks and other items will be
available for purchase. All ability
levels welcome, partner not nec-
essary. (541-278-9201).
FREE FOR ALL, 9:30-10:15
a.m. Pendleton Center for the
Arts, 214 N. Main St., Pendleton.
Family art experience for children
up to age 12. Children under 8
should be accompanied by an
adult. (541-278-9201).
LIVING CULTURE VILLAGE AT
TAMASTSLIKT, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.,
Tamastslikt Cultural Institute,
47106 Wildhorse Blvd., Mission.
View replicas of traditional and
prehistoric Plateau Indian people
and participate in cultural activi-
ties. Free with admission. (541-
429-7700).
“ROBBERS, REPROBATES
AND THE RED LIGHT DISTRICT”
WALKING TOUR, 10:30 a.m., be-
ginning at MaySon’s Old Fash-
ioned General Store, 369 S.
Main St., Pendleton. Learn about
Pendleton’s 18 bordellos and 32
saloons in a four-block area of
downtown. Cost is $5 for adults,
$4 for children under 12. Tour
takes about an hour. (541-276-
8206).
Pub & Brewery, 230 E. Court
Ave., Pendleton. Share thoughts
with Ward 1 councilwoman. (541-
276-9147).
MOVIES IN THE PARK, 8-10
p.m., Community Park, 1000
S.W. 37th St., Pendleton. Fam-
ily-friendly movie and conces-
sions. All ages; free.
SUNDAY, JULY 19
MARCIA WHITEHEAD WOR-
SHIP PRESENTATION, 11 a.m.,
First United Methodist Church,
191 E. Gladys Ave., Hermiston.
Multi-media presentation incorpo-
UDWHV VWRU\ ¿OP DQG VRQJ )UHH
but a free-will offering will be
taken. Everyone welcome. (541-
567-3002).
KBLU-FM CITIZENS ADVI-
SORY GROUP, 3 p.m., Bowman
Building Suite 352, 17 S.W.
Frazer Ave., Pendleton. Share
ideas on format of Pendleton ar-
ea’s newest radio station. (Vicki
541-566-2744 or Gary 541-566-
0131).
MUSIC IN THE PARK, 5-7
p.m., Heppner City Park, 444 N.
Main St. Tailgate Trio is the fea-
tured performer. Bring blanket,
lawn chairs and a picnic. In case
of inclement weather the concert
will move to the Heppner Elemen-
tary School gym, 235 E. Stans-
bury. Free.
ADULT OPEN GYM, 7-9 p.m.,
Pendleton Recreation Center,
510 S.W. Dorion Ave. Free ac-
cess for ages 16 and up. (541-
276-8100).
LOTTERY
Tuesday, July 14
Mega Millions
19-24-30-35-72
Mega Ball: 5
Megaplier: 3
Estimated jackpot: $123
million
Lucky Lines
03-05-12-14-FREE-18-23-
25-32
Estimated jackpot: $36,000
Pick 4
1 p.m.: 5-1-6-6
4 p.m.: 5-2-0-5
7 p.m.: 4-1-9-3
10 p.m.: 6-8-0-7
Wednesday, July 15
Pick 4
1 p.m.: 9-6-4-2
PEPSI PRIMETIME: ALCA-
TRAZ OCCUPATION, 1-3 p.m., Ta-
mastslikt Cultural Institute, 47106
Wildhorse Blvd., Pendleton. Doc-
THURSDAY, JULY 16
MCCOARD, MILLER — Graveside service with
military honors at 10 a.m. at the Echo Cemetery.
ROBERTS, GAVIN — Private family visitation from
11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and visitation for friends from 11 a.m.
to 5 p.m. at Burns Mortuary, 685 W. Hermiston Ave.,
Hermiston.
FRIDAY, JULY 17
CULP, CARSYN — Celebration of life at 10 a.m. in
the chapel at Burns Mortuary, 685 W. Hermiston Ave.,
Hermiston.
KELLY, BOB — Military funeral at 3 p.m. at Willa-
mette National Cemetery, Portland.
ROBERTS, GAVIN — Visitation from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
at Burns Mortuary, 685 W. Hermiston Ave., Hermiston.
STEINER, RALPH — Graveside service at 10 a.m. at
Olney Cemetery, Pendleton.
MEETINGS
THURSDAY, JULY 16
HERMISTON IRRIGATION
DISTRICT, 4:30 p.m., district
RI¿FH FRQIHUHQFH URRP (
Hurlburt Ave.
UMATILLA COUNTY SPE-
CIAL LIBRARY DISTRICT, 5:15
p.m., Pendleton City Hall second
ÀRRU MXU\ URRP 6: (PL-
grant Ave.
EASTERN OREGON RE-
GIONAL AIRPORT COMMIS-
SION, 6 p.m., airport terminal/ad-
ministration building, 2016 Airport
Road, Pendleton.
PENDLETON PLANNING
COMMISSION, 7 p.m., Pendle-
ton City Hall council chambers,
501 S.W. Emigrant Ave.
ECHO CITY COUNCIL, 7:30
p.m., 20 S. Bonanza St.
MONDAY, JULY 20
WEST EXTENSION IRRIGA-
TION DISTRICT, 9 a.m., Irrigon
Fri - Wed, July 17 - July 22, 2015
Subject to change. Check times daily.
Destiny
Theatres
Hermiston Stadium 8
Hwy 395 & Theatre Ln - 567-1556
MoviesInHermiston.com
FREE SUMMER MOVIES
7/22/15 & 7/23/15
T HE B OXTROLLS (PG)
Doors open at 10:00am, Movie starts 10:30am
A NT -M AN
M-F FM/AM
DRIVE
- IN
RADIO SOUND
938-4327
Gates Open at 8:00 p.m.
Showtime starts at dusk
MINIONS
PG
(PG-13)
T RAINWRECK
PG13
Always two movies
for the price of one!
Fri. - Wed.
www.m-fdriveintheatre.com
Adults $7, Children 11 & Under $2
UMATILLA-MORROW HEAD
START, 6:30-8:30 p.m., 110 N.E.
Fourth St., Hermiston. (Leanna
541-564-6878).
PENDLETON YOUTH COM-
MISSION, 7 p.m., Intermountain
(6'RI¿FH6:1\H$YH
M INIONS
(PG)
S ELF /L ESS
Cineplex Show Times
$5 Classic Movie
7/22  12:00 PM
SHADOW OF A DOUBT
MINIONS (PG)
2D: 4:30 9:30
3D : 6:40
JURASSIC WORLD (PG13)
2D: 4:20 7:10 9:50
TERMINATOR GENISYS (PG13)
2D: 6:50
3D : 4:00 9:40
ANT MAN (PG13)
2D: 7:00
3D : 10:00
(PG-13)
T ERMINATOR : G ENISYS
7/16
INSIDE OUT (PG)
2D: 4:40
(R-17)
M AGIC M IKE XXL
JURASSIC WORLD
Fire Department, 705 N.E. Main
St. (541-922-3814).
WESTLAND IRRIGATION
DISTRICT, SP GLVWULFW RI¿FH
77096 Highway 207, Echo.
ECHO SCHOOL DISTRICT,
6 p.m., Echo School, 600 Gerone
St.
FRIDAY, JULY 17
No meetings scheduled
E VERY W EDNESDAY & T HURSDAY
FROM BRANCH TO BOTTLE
TOUR, 11 a.m., Blue Mountain Ci-
der Company, 235 E. Broadway
Ave., Milton-Freewater. Follow
cider from crush to fermentation
and bottling. Adults may sam-
ple ciders at the end of the tour.
Costs $10 for adults, free for chil-
dren and students, registration
required.
(www.bmlt.org/from-
branch-to-bottle.html)
HIP & HANDMADE, 11 a.m. to
noon, Pendleton Center for the
Arts, 214 N. Main St., Pendleton.
Free drop-in art project class for
adults. (541-278-9201).
UPCOMING SERVICES
(PG-13)
MAGIC MIKE XXL (R)
(R-17)
BARGAIN TUESDAYS *
$5.00 Movie Admission*
$6.00 3D Movie Admission**
**3D Glasses sold separately.
*Exclusions apply, details on website.
Check ONLINE for more information!
4:10 7:20 10:00
Credit & Debit Cards accepted
Cineplex gift cards available
* Matinee Pricing
wildhorseresort.com
541-966-1850
Pendleton, OR I-84 - Exit 216