Here is the latest in the continuing saga of Robert “Mendacious” Menendez is the U.S. Senator from New Jersey and Dr. Salomon Melges, an ophthalmologist who has become fabulously wealthy by treating patients with multiple doses of a prescription medicine that pays doctors more than other medicines do.
As you may remember, Menendez had to fork over $58,000 in “travel costs\’ because, against ethics rules, he was being flown around in Melges\’ private plane…including, it is alleged, to party-party-party events in the Dominican Republic, where Senator Menendez scre..er, danced the night way with undera…er, very young looking prosti…er girls. It gave him an nice break from the times when he was interceding on Melges\’ behalf in the senate, that is.
Well, the numbers are in. And I thought you might be interested to know that Dr. Melges is the winner. He is the single biggest recipient of Medicare payments in the United States.
That\’s right. Salomon Melges, through his four offices and their relentless prescribing of Lucentis, which gives him a major payday every time a patient accepts it, made – are you sitting down? – $21 million dollars from Medicare last year – and that is not a typo.
Excerpted from Frances Robles\’ article in today\’s New York Times:
MIAMI- The doctor who bills the most for Medicare in the country is aSouth Florida ophthalmologist whose offices were twice raided lastyear by the FBI and whose generous political contributions and cozyrelationship with New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez are underinvestigation by federal public corruption prosecutors, a New YorkTimes analysis of Medicare data shows.
Data released Wednesday by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services show Dr. Salomon E. Melgen, 59, who moved to Florida from the Dominican Republic in the late 1970s, received $21 million in Medicare reimbursements in 2012 alone. The doctor billed mostly for Lucentis, a medication used to treat macular degeneration made by a company that pays generous rebates to its doctors.
The release of the Medicare figures was the latest in a series headline-grabbing disclosures that have dogged the doctor since January of last year. The millionaire surgeon, who lives in a 5,000 square foot home in North Palm Beach and travels by private jet, is better known as the generous campaign contributor whose close relationship with Mr. Menendez has been scrutinized by federal prosecutors.
Heis a central figure in two different federal investigations. InJanuary and October last year, FBI agents were spotted carrying boxesout of his offices.
Dr.Melgen donated more than $700,000 to the senator\’s political actioncommittee, and Mr. Menendez publicly and privately helpedhis friend with business disputes. The senator made calls on theMr. Melgen\’s behalf to the U.S. Department of Health and HumanServices in the dispute over the injection dosing and advocated onbehalf of the doctor during a Senate hearing into a port securitycontract in the Dominican Republic.
Dr. Melgen has said the senator is “like a brother” to him, and said he never sought anything in return for the $700,000 he donated to the Senator\’s PAC.
Wow, Senator Menendez is “like a brother” to Dr. Melges.
Well, there you go. That certainly clears everything up. See, Dr. Melges, who is obviously in considerable trouble with the law, donated $700,000 to Senator Menendez, gave him the use of his plane for those fun trips to the Dominican Republic Menendez had to reimburse the government for….but expected nothing in return. And Senator Menendez, the recipient of all this no-strings-attached largesse, fully supports Dr. Melges\’s account.
What great pals. What a great relationship they have. I\’ll bet Bonnie and Clyde would have done the same for each other too.
Do you believe either Melges or Menendez? If so, I suggest that you forget about using Blue Emu oil for your aches and pains, because I have just developed a serum from Unicorn Uteruses that will do the job even better…and the first 1,800,000 customers get another order free if they pay separate shipping and handling…with a banker ready to write up a second mortgage to help with the shipping and handling costs.
Will Robert Menendez finish his senate term before this all closes in on him? It seems to me that the only thing which could save him is that he belongs to the same political party as our current President and Attorney General; that, and their ever-compliant mainstream media (despite the Times\’ major departure from the fold with this article, for which it deserves full credit).
Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock….
