NBC investigative reporter Michael Isikoff has a story noting that while Congresswoman Michele Bachmann has “forcefully denounced the Medicaid program for swelling the ‘welfare rolls,’ the mental health clinic run by her husband has been collecting annual Medicaid payments totaling over $137,000 for the treatment of patients since 2005.”
According to the story, Bachmann & Associates, the clinic founded by her husband, Marcus Bachmann, a clinical therapist, is:
“based in Lake Elmo, Minn., [and] describes itself on its website as offering ‘quality Christian counseling’ for a large number of mental health problems ranging from ‘anger management’ to addictions and eating disorders.”
Said the story:
“[T]he payments from the Minnesota Department of Human Services to her husband’s clinic appear to contradict some of Michele Bachmann’s public accounts this week when she was first asked about the extent to which her family has benefited from government aid. Contacted this afternoon, Alice Stewart, a spokeswoman for Bachmann, said the congresswoman was doing campaign events and was not immediately available for comment.”
Earlier this week, a Los Angeles Times story noted that Bachmann is a partner in a family farm in Wisconsin that received nearly $260,000 in federal farm subsidies.
Says that story:
Bachmann said in December that the subsidies went to her in-laws and she never received “one penny” from the farm, according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. However, in financial disclosure forms, she reported receiving between $32,503 and $105,000 in income from the farm, at minimum, between 2006 and 2009.
Publicly, Bachmann has objected strongly to federal farm payments.
I am unclear on precisely what Mr. Bachmann’s status is. He claims a PhD in Clinical Psychology from Union Graduate School, OH. However:
“Some have questioned Mr. Bachmann’s report of having earned a Ph.D. at Union Graduate School in Ohio. Presumably, this refers to the Union Institute and University, then known as the Union Institute. Although the organization does currently offer a Psy.D. in clinical psychology, it does not currently offer a Ph.D. in psychology. The Union is not a traditional educational institution and has had it’s share of criticism regarding its programs, including a 2002 Reauthorization Report from an accrediting body stating that expectations for doctoral candidates “were not as rigorous as is common for doctoral work[.]”
http://thewhitebearman.blogspot.com/2011/06/not-ready-for-prime-time.html
The cited MSNBC story refers to him as a “clinical therapist”.
I contacted the Minnesota Board of Psychology recently, asking for “licensing information on Marcus Bachmann, Ph.D, owner and operator of Bachmann & Associates, Inc.” I was told today, by email, that “Marcus Bachmann, PhD, is not a licensed Psychologist with the Minnesota Board of Psychology. We do not have record of him every being licensed by the Board.”
A search of the Minnesota Board of Behavioral Health and Therapy online listings also came up dry, as did a search of the Board of Marriage and Behavioral Therapy and the Board of Social Work.
https://www.hlb.state.mn.us/BBHTOnline/DesktopModules/ServiceForm.aspx?svid=37&mid=178
http://www.bmft.state.mn.us/search.asp
https://www.hlb.state.mn.us/BOSW/Online/DesktopModules/ServiceForm.aspx?svid=21&mid=164
According to the Minnesota Secretary of State’s website, Bachmann and Associates, Inc. is a domestic corporation created in 2003. (A second entity with the same listed address, Bachmann Clinic Property, LLC, was organized in 2004.)
What exactly are Marcus Bachmann’s credentials and why is he being paid public funds for providing Christian counseling?
(#1) – James,
Keep digging and posting – good work. As to “Mr. Bachmann’s status” we will probably ultimately learn that his claimed credentials are all a “misspeak” which we learned earlier this week from Michele are OK and acceptable.
Gad. Yet another republican liar?