Up in Toronto, Canada, the initials “TTC” are widely used by residents on a daily basis – both verbally and literally. Standing for Toronto Transit Commission, the three-letters are not just part of the everyday vocabulary of the average Torontonian, they also represent the ways in which people traverse throughout the largest city in Canada. TTC buses, streetcars and subways help to transport over a million commuters each and every day.
According to the TTC website, “the TTC has the third largest ridership in North America, after Mexico City and New York City – cities with populations greater than eight million people.” Evidently, the people of Toronto are only too happy to take advantage of this very necessary mode of transportation. However, the TTC has also been taken advantage of by its own employees – in one of the worst ways possible.
223 TTC employees have been dismissed.
As revealed by a 680 News report published last week, no less than 223 TTC employees were fired for allegedly defrauding the company’s benefits plan. Following an investigation that was initiated as far back as 2014, the TTC found that receipts were being provided to employees by Healthy Fit, which is a health care products and service provider. The receipts were found to be inflated, and no products or services were ever provided.
The TTC investigation discovered that Healthy Fit and the TTC employees were making fraudulent claims together, agreeing to split the money paid out by Manulife Financial. Healthy Fit’s proprietor, Adam Smith has already been found guilty of two counts of fraud over $5,000 and was sentenced to two years in prison, reports 680 News.
Ten TTC employees have also been charged with fraud.
“Of the 10, four pleaded guilty and received a conditional discharge, one year probation, and community service,” reads the report, “More than $82,000 in restitution has been collected by the TTC from these employees. Six other former TTC employees remain before the courts.”
As mentioned, a total of 223 employees have been let go by the TTC. 680 News points out that the number equates to 1.5 percent of the transit system’s workforce. In total, the large group of employees defrauded the TTC’s benefits plan of more than $7 million. The TTC is now in the midst of suing both Healthy Fit and Manulife Financial to recoup at least $5 million.
The transport agency “alleges Manulife Financial did not have appropriate fraud management controls in place and didn’t have systems in place to detect and analyze unusual trends or patterns that might indicate fraud or abuse,” says 680 News. Their investigation is ongoing.
Health care fraud is certainly not a crime that is exclusive to the United States.
Evidently, there are people all over the world who continue to come up with ways to defraud their nation’s health insurance programs. This is why, at Allegiant Experts, we remain diligent in providing clinical expert services to attorneys who try health care fraud cases. We know that while attorneys are experts on legal issues, we are experts on nursing practice and the health care system.
For more information about how our team may be able to help you, please don’t hesitate to call us at 407-217-5831 or email us at info@allegiantexperts.com.