Railroad says Superfund town's health clinic submitted false medical claims
CTV
A major U.S. railroad found liable for spreading hazardous asbestos that killed hundreds of people in a Montana town is trying to convince a federal jury that a local clinic submitted hundreds of asbestos claims for people who weren't sick, earning them lifetime government benefits and bilking taxpayer funds.
A major U.S. railroad found liable for spreading hazardous asbestos that killed hundreds of people in a Montana town is trying to convince a federal jury that a local clinic submitted hundreds of asbestos claims for people who weren't sick, earning them lifetime government benefits and bilking taxpayer funds.
The case focuses on the Center For Asbestos Related Disease in Libby, Montana, and the health clinic's high-profile doctor, Brad Black, who has been at the forefront of efforts to help residents of the town, which came to national prominence when it was declared a deadly Superfund site in 2000.
Since 2003, Black and the CARD clinic have certified more than 3,400 people, primarily from the Libby area, with asbestos-related diseases.
BNSF Railway -- controlled by billionaire Warren Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate -- has alleged during a trial taking place in Missoula that more than half the certifications were based on false medical submissions from CARD. The railway shipped asbestos-tainted vermiculite through Libby.
Closing arguments in the case were scheduled for Wednesday.
CARD and its attorneys deny the claims, arguing the clinic made its diagnoses in line with requirements of the 2009 Affordable Care Act, which included special provisions for the Libby victims.
Asbestos-related diseases can range from a thickening of a person's lung cavity, hampering breathing, to deadly cancer. Under the health law, victims of asbestos exposure in the Libby area are eligible for taxpayer-funded services including Medicare, housekeeping, travel to medical appointments, and disability benefits for those who can't work.
