PHOENIX, Ariz. –– Nationally renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump and co-counsel Richard Meadow today announced that they have filed a multi-plaintiff lawsuit against the State of Arizona, the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS), and other state agencies and officials. The lawsuit alleges systemic racial discrimination, negligence, and breaches of contract that have devastated Native American communities and the health care providers who serve them. The complaint details how state agencies unjustly targeted providers with baseless fraud accusations, denied payments, and revoked their ability to deliver critical services.
The plaintiffs in the lawsuit are licensed behavioral health facilities and providers under the AHCCCS’s American Indian Health Program (AHIP) and deliver low-cost health care services to Native American communities. Due to a scandal in which other providers in the program falsely promised sober living homes and other services to Native Americans, the lawsuit alleges, the Medicaid agency targeted the plaintiffs relying on unsubstantiated allegations of fraud in order to avoid embarrassment and protect its own reputation. As a result, the state unlawfully suspended Provider Participation Agreements, harming the health facilities’ ability to provide services.
The Maricopa County lawsuit includes the following allegations:
- The health care providers were unjustly targeted and accused of fraud.
- Arizona State agencies failed to conduct proper investigations into those allegations because they used unqualified staff to review claims.
- The plaintiffs were targeted based on race, which resulted in a violation of their rights.
- The plaintiffs suffered professional and personal harm, including financial and reputation losses, due to the actions of the state and its agencies.
“Instead of supporting these essential services, the state unjustly targeted them with baseless allegations that harmed their reputations and their ability to provide care,” said Crump. “This lawsuit seeks justice, both for the health care providers whose livelihoods were upended and for the communities that lost access to the health care they so desperately need. The AHCCCS and the state need to be held accountable for their acts of discrimination and negligence that created outsized harm Native American communities in Arizona.”
Native American communities face greater mental health challenges than the rest of the U.S. population, making behavioral health providers who work with Native American communities essential to that population’s well-being.
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ABOUT BEN CRUMP LAW
Through his work, nationally renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump has spearheaded a legal movement to better protect the rights of marginalized citizens. He has led landscape-changing civil rights cases and represented clients in a wide range of areas including civil rights, personal injury, labor and employment, class actions, and more. Ben Crump Law is dedicated to holding the powerful accountable. For more information, visit bencrump.com.