In a March 1 letter to One Medical’s CEO and president, House Subcommittee Chairman James Clyburn wrote: “Reports indicate that One Medical has repeatedly and intentionally disregarded vaccine eligibility requirements in multiple cities and states over the past two months.”
The letter is part of the subcommittee’s newly launched investigation into the San Francisco-based health care provider in which Clyburn cites reporting by NBC Bay Area's Investigative Unit along with others like NPR, which first reported the story.
Watch: No Clear Consequences for People Lying about Vaccine Eligibility
“These reports raise concerns that the company may be exploiting the federally funded vaccine rollout to increase membership rates and generate fees, regardless of whether prospective fee-paying members are actually eligible for vaccination,” Clyburn wrote.
In February, the Investigative Unit reported on concerns people paid One Medical’s $199 membership fee in order to take advantage of the company’s easy-to-use vaccination appointment system. In the Bay Area, San Francisco, San Mateo and Alameda counties have stopped allocating vaccines to One Medical, citing vaccination eligibility issues.
Read: SF Penalizes One Medical for Vaccinating Ineligible Patients
One Medical has denied it “broadly and knowingly disregard[ed] eligibility requirements.” In previous statements to the Investigative Unit, a spokesperson wrote, “One Medical does not market its membership as a way to gain guaranteed or expedited access to vaccine appointments. We actually explicitly note that becoming a member does not provide these types of benefits.”
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According to Clyburn’s letter, the company reportedly terminated several members of its clinical staff. NBC Bay Area reached out to the company Monday for an updated response but has not heard back yet.
The House Subcommittee is requesting One Medical produce documents related to vaccinations, demographic breakdowns, internal communications and complaints. One Medical has until March 15 to hand over the documents. The company says it will comply fully with the investigation.
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Read Representative Clyburn’s full letter here.
Candice Nguyen is an investigative reporter with NBC Bay Area. E-mail her about this story or others at candice.nguyen@nbcuni.com .
