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California’s $2 billion medical fraud shame hid in plain sight — all we had to do was look

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Cite

CA Post Editorial Board. (2026, October 22). California’s $2 billion medical fraud shame hid in plain sight — all we had to do was look. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2026/10/22/opinion/californias-2-billion-medical-fraud-hid-in-plain-sight/

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New York Post · collected 2026-10-22 · by CA Post Editorial Board

Quick Summary

Federal investigators uncovered a $2 billion medical fraud ring in California, involving unnecessary surgeries, fake rehab centers, and various other schemes that exploited vulnerable populations and defrauded taxpayers. Two suspects are accused of performing over $134 million worth of unnecessary surgeries by deceiving patients about arterial disease conditions. The article highlights the complicity of some California leaders who turned a blind eye to these issues until federal prosecutor Bill Essayli took action, emphasizing the scale and impact of medical fraud in the state.
Written by AI on 2026-10-22, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

As of October 24, 2026, 15 people were charged and at least 8 arrested in connection with a $2 billion healthcare fraud scheme involving substance abuse treatment centers, hospice services, and unnecessary surgeries in California. Federal investigators accused the suspects of defrauding Medicaid and private insurers through various fraudulent practices, including performing unnecessary medical procedures and providing inadequate or nonexistent addiction treatments. Notably, Nathan Young, 39, and his father David Young, 71, were arrested for allegedly orchestrating one of the largest sober-home fraud schemes in US history, which involved submitting over $1.6 billion in claims to major health insurers between 2020 and 2026, collecting more than $210 million. The scheme preyed on vulnerable individuals, often bringing homeless addicts from across the country to Southern California facilities to exploit their insurance policies.

Written for “California Fraud Investigations” on 2026-11-02, grounded in this article and the 3 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 California Fraud Investigations
Crime & Law · 4 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads leans left and hedges 8% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
California only has itself to blame for Medicaid funding cuts due to fraud Different event
New York Post
⚖️ Leans strongly right further right than this Hedges 2 of 20 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles describe different events: one about Medicaid funding cuts due to suspected fraud, and the other about a $2 billion medical fraud ring uncovered by federal investigators.”
California latest target in Department of Justice efforts to end public benefits fraud Same event
Toronto Star
⚖️ Centre further right than this Hedges 1 of 3 claims Outlet record 64/100
Feds charge 15 suspects in multiple alleged insurance, Medicare fraud schemes Same event
ABC News (US)
Hedges 7 of 12 claims Outlet record 70/100
Insurers milked for millions as part of alleged rehab fraud that lured addicts to California Different event
New York Post
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 7 of 19 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles describe two different alleged fraud schemes involving medical and rehab facilities, both part of a broader investigation but not referring to the exact same incident.”
Dr Oz takes Americans behind the doors of 'clubhouse for crooks' as feds hunt Medicare fraud Different event
Fox News
⚖️ Leans strongly right further right than this Hedges 4 of 19 claims Outlet record 69/100
“Article A discusses a documentary about Medicare fraud investigations, while Article B reports on a specific $2 billion medical fraud ring being investigated by federal authorities.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
24
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
8%
2 of 24 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans left
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Publisher signals
66/100
New York Post's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
4
Crime & Law
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-22 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

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Who wrote this

CA Post Editorial Board
70 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 This year, it might be tempting to think that your vote matters even less.
2026-11-01 · assertive framing · Time to vote — the future of California hangs in the balance
🔮 Good: Admitting the need for change — obvious though it may be — is the first step toward a safer, stronger, more livable LA.
2026-10-31 · assertive framing · It took four years, but Karen Bass finally shows flashes of common sense
🔮 It might just work, because Becerra may think he has an excuse to continue funding it, under new leadership.
2026-10-30 · assertive framing · Ian Choudri’s resignation should not save high-speed rail
🔮 Even former Obama administration staffers were appalled that he might move ahead to the general election.
2026-10-29 · assertive framing · Vote Steve Hilton for California governor over establishment hack Xavier Becerra for real change
🔮 But socialist City Councilwoman Nithya Raman is an extremist who will make things even worse.
2026-10-29 · assertive framing · Experienced Karen Bass is a far better vote than radical socialist Nithya Raman in the LA mayoral race
🔮 Dolores Huerta, who died Wednesday at the age of 96, will always be remembered as a towering figure in the history of the American labor movement.
2026-10-29 · assertive framing · Dolores Huerta — labor leader who revealed Cesar Chavez’s secrets
🔮 Instead, it will only link a couple of towns in the Central Valley, at a cost of over $200 billion, by 2032 at the earliest.
2026-10-26 · assertive framing · Steve Hilton has the only good idea for California’s failed fake train dreams
🔮 And if the 20,000 number — which Essayli called “the floor” — turns out to be to accurate, that would be an even more explosive revelation about how far our elections have fallen.
2026-10-25 · assertive framing · Despite Rob Bonta’s dastardly push to stop voter ID, there’s a simple way to get it passed
🔮 And parents, and not schools, may be left to grapple with years of fallout from a kid’s “exploration” of gender dysphoria.
2026-10-24 · assertive framing · Feds put California school districts’ ‘TMI’ student questionnaires on notice
🔮 The socialist city councilwoman, who’s running to “fail up” to the mayor’s office, has proposed a new plan that has the potential to incur new, hampering costs on a city already suffering from a $1 billion budget deficit.
2026-10-23 · assertive framing · The real reason ‘Rubber-stamp’ Raman wants more wildly expensive public toilets
Wire or desk byline, not an individual reporter.
Also by CA Post Editorial Board
Time to vote — the future of California hangs in the balance
2026-11-01 · New York Post
It took four years, but Karen Bass finally shows flashes of common sense
2026-10-31 · New York Post
Ian Choudri’s resignation should not save high-speed rail
2026-10-30 · New York Post
Experienced Karen Bass is a far better vote than radical socialist Nithya Raman in the LA mayoral race
2026-10-29 · New York Post
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 70 articles by CA Post Editorial Board →

Topics

California Democrats Medicare Sacramento U.S.

Subjects

California GPE · 5× Essayli ORG · 2× Bill Essayli PERSON · 1× Democrats NORP · 1× Donald Trump PERSON · 1× Medicare ORG · 1× Sacramento GPE · 1× The California Post App ORG · 1× U.S. GPE · 1×

Narrative

It’s no wonder Democrats silenced Essayli in Sacramento. And no wonder President Donald Trump wanted him in the prosecutor’s office. Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-22
🔮 They exploited the most vulnerable — so they could live large on taxpayers’ money.
2026-10-22 · New York Post
California’s $2 billion medical fraud shame hid in plain sight — all we had to do was look · assertive framing

Claims (24 extracted, 2 hedged)

It’s amazing how deep the rot goes when someone decides to find it and get rid of it. asserted
someone → ’ → it
Federal investigators swooped in Thursday on a massive $2 billion medical fraud ring. asserted
investigators → swoop → ring
Some of the crimes the suspects are alleged to have committed are shocking. asserted
suspects → allege → crimes
Two are accused of swindling patients into believing that they had arterial disease, then conducting unnecessary surgery and billing Medicare to the tune of $134 million. asserted
they → accuse → million
One even lured patients into the scheme by offering groceries and $50 gift cards to poor people. asserted
One → lure → people
They exploited the most vulnerable — so they could live large on taxpayers’ money. uncertain
they → exploit → money
Other suspects are accused of luring addicts, including homeless people, to drug treatment programs that provided no help to them but billed insurance companies for the cost of rehab. asserted
that → accuse → rehab
Sometimes, the “body brokers” who trafficked these addicts across the country would offer them drugs to participate. asserted
who → traffic → drugs
These scams are part of the reason the homeless population grew over the past several years in California. asserted
population → grow → California
When the insurance money for rehab runs out, the scam artists just abandon the addicts to their fates, and to the streets of LA. asserted
artists → run → LA
Others were charged with hospice fraud and a variety of other fake medical schemes. asserted
Others → charge → schemes
Some people who had unnecessary surgery allegedly suffered severe injuries. uncertain
who → have → injuries
Some people — especially addicts — who needed real medical treatment never received it. asserted
who → need → it
And the taxpayers were stuck with the bill, pouring payroll taxes into a bottomless pit of corruption and greed. asserted
taxpayers → stick → corruption
It’s absolutely appalling that this was allowed to go on in California for so long. asserted
this → ’ → California
And people knew that something was wrong — that the phony rehab centers were luring clients to the state, for example. asserted
centers → know → example
Yet too many so-called leaders in California turned a blind eye. asserted
leaders → call → eye
It took an energetic federal prosecutor, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli, to take the problem seriously. asserted
It → take → problem
It turns out there’s so much fraud in California that Essayli doesn’t need a flashlight to find it. asserted
Essayli → turn → it
He can use a floodlight. asserted
He → use → floodlight
It’s everywhere. asserted
It → ’ → ?
And it’s been tolerated because of a culture of complacency. asserted
it → tolerate → complacency
When there is political will to find the fraud, it turns out to be easy. asserted
it → be → fraud
It’s no wonder Democrats silenced Essayli in Sacramento. And no wonder President Donald Trump wanted him in the prosecutor’s office. Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters asserted
Trump → ’ → newsletters
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