Thursdnj
v 5day. March 1,2001
Vo bodies
ound near
ort Worth
FORT WORTH (AP) — North
Btasllaw officers have found the
fplies of two men, including one
bationer missing from a Tarrant
ff^gjinty work-release program near a
ttcamp that is under investigation
proi'lems with inmates.
Autopsies were pending Wednes-
, ' on ihe pair. Justin S. Cashel and
H ron Keith Gossett left for work
RLE photo i tWay morning from the Tarrant
head to Ai unty Community Corrections
ater. near the site of the Mansfield
championsloW m P‘
■orts Sout(i« : U
vent scoring
— Doug Whitehead
Wise County chief deputy
kd /'’n ^ motorist told Wise County au-
I ^|.^j|(irities a body was located in a field
’County Road 4659. No positive
i|lcr| l mn ntification has yet been made. But
‘, (iU n !|1 ’ :dical examiners are checking to
^ V : if the victim, who sustained a fa-
gunshot wound, is Gossett, 28.
of speculat:
i will be the
“We’re looking at it as possibly a
tnicide,” said Wise County Chief
J puty Doug Whitehead,
nillionoft Cashel, 18, of Arlington was
y cutting F md fatally shot in the head at a mo-
as a starlet room in Fort Worth about an hour
another fat fore the body was discovered in the
Id. Officers found a .45- caliber re-
with Dallatrf 1 ' i n the room. The wound ap-
je n t j n |Q0iffid to be self-inflicted. Detective
l llston [0 bn McCaskill said, but investiga-
• . r 's are awaiting autopsy results.
Records show that a warrant for
ishePs arrest was issued Friday,
back t ore yji a warran t for Gossett went out
led tree agi Monday.
gals used l Wise County sheriff’s officers and
in the right irt Worth police were investigating
te of the aether the deaths are connected,
it to lose lira “We’re going to have to do ballis-
: tests on the gun,” said Lt. Duane
ul, a Fort Worth Police Department
okesman.
Sheriff’s deputies and the proba-
t tners" probation officers were noti-
id when the victims did not return,
id Randy Tate, administrator for
orrectional Services Corp., a Flori-
i-based contractor that runs the
stitution center.
STATE
THE BATTALION
Pretty colors
STUART VILLANUEVA/The Battalion
Wendy Bleyl, a junior landscape architecture during her landscape communications class in
major, uses water colors to create a painting Langford Wednesday.
Medicaid contractor being
investigated for overbilling
AUSTIN (AP) — A one-of-a-
kind contract for the private compa
ny that is under investigation on ac
cusations that it overbilled for Texas
Medicaid allows it to keep part of the
money it saves the state in Medicaid
claims, health officials say.
The state’s Medicaid contractor,
National Heritage Insurance Co.,
kept nearly $4 million in savings two
years ago, state records show.
Texas Health Department offi
cials said the contract also requires
National Heritage to pay a portion of
any unexpected costs that arise, but
the company has taken in extra mon
ey in 16 of the past 18 years.
“To have some limited risk shared
by your contractor is to the state’s
benefit,” Associate Health Commis
sioner Rodger Love told the Austin
American-Statesman in Wednes
day’s editions. “It could also be to
our disadvantage if they get heavy-
handed on denying services because
they benefit from it. But that’s what
we’re here for — to make sure they
don’t get too heavy-handed.”
Grand jurors have been investi
gating accusations that National Her
itage Insurance, a subsidiary of Elec
tronic Data Systems Corp., has been
cheating Texas by overcharging for
administrative costs for Medicaid.
Investigators of the Travis Coun
ty District Attorney ’s Public Integri
ty Unit earlier this month seized
Medicaid records from the compa
ny’s offices. No criminal charges
have been filed. National Heritage
Insurance officials have called the al
legations “baseless.”
State Health Department contend
that the agreement with the contrac
tor is an anti-fraud mechanism that
encourages National Heritage to
keep costs low and reject any claims
it considers medically unnecessary.
But regulators in other states have
avoided allowing private companies
to share in Medicaid profits and loss
es, saying the system is difficult to
create and monitor.
In Texas, the $20 billion Medic
aid program is $602 million in the
red. The Texas Health Department
has told state budget writers that the
state overruns are due to cuts in fed
eral funding, increased utilization,
rising prescription drug and other
health care costs as well as higher-
than-expected fees paid to NHIC.
Plano-based EDS, which has
Medicaid contracts in 16 other states,
has administered Texas’ Medicaid
program for 23 years.
Before 1998, Texas paid the com
pany a flat fee for every person in
Medicaid up to a capped amount. In
the new contract, NHIC began charg
ing fees for every transaction —
every doctor visit, for example.
The company is accused of over
charging the state for those transac
tions by at least $10 million. In fiscal
year 2000, the state paid NHIC $99
million and processed 36.3 million
Medicaid claims.
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Texas A&M - Information Session
Date: March 5, 2001 Time: 7:00 - 8:00 PM
Location: 203 MSC Building
Refreshments: Pizza and Soft Drinks
Dress: Casual
505 University Center, College Station • (979) 691-0924
(Next to Fox & Hound) Hours: Tues-Sat 10-6, Late Appts. Available
Its HERE!!!
Parents Night Out
-A night of free baby-sitting hosted by Alpha Phi Omega
provided to the faculty, staff, and students of Texas A&M University.
Friday March 2, 2001
from 6-10 p.m.
on the 3 rd floor of Rudder
If you have any questions feel free to contact:
Amy Brakeman 979-847-0379
Maura Chamness 979-680-8897
Sara Allenson 979-680-8897
The APO office 979-862-2525
A Cut of Country
Hair cutci NaiU
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VtiujdLx&yourseifwitlv hundreds Of Hair Styles and
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260-0982
4010 StiUntetuLow-, Brytuv
You go to school to learn -
You come home to:
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Workout
Study
2, 3 or 4
bedroom
apartment
homes
Apartment Features:
Individual lease by the
bedroom
Ethernet Service
provided
W/D in every unit
Monitored intrusion
alarms
Basic cable provided
Furnished units
available
Microwaves included
Community Features:
■ Sand volleyball court
State of the art
Multi-Media center
Game room
Fitness Center
On University Bus Route
Resort style pool
w/jacuzzi
(979) 696-5711
(979) 696-5661 - Fax
11 7 HOLLEMAN DRIVE WEST
www.suhvillage.com
The International Student Association presents...
I-Week 2001
"A Passport to tli
MAR. 2 TALENT SHOW & TRADITIONAL DRESS PARADE
Rudder Auditorium 7:30 p.m - 9:30 p.m.
$5.00
e World
Special thanks to...
MAR. 2 CLOSING CEREMONY & AWARDS
MSC 201 Fbllowing Talent Show
Free
For more information see....
tillp://sruacr.lamu.e(lu/sluorgs/laniuJsa
.Weils Fargo Bank
.First American Bank
,12th Man Foundation
.Northgate Merchants
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.Loupof s Bookstore
Tickets on sale at the
MSC Box Office!!!
Thifi offer doesn't
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Come See Us to be
eligible to Win $200
cosh for Spring Break!!
*Sign a 12 mo. lease and receive $ 100 off
Sept, rent
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Roommate Matching Service Available!
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