Beverly Hills Doctor: 'We've Been Offered Bribes' For Vaccines

BEVERLY HILLS, CA — Beverly Hills doctor Dr. Robert Huizenga, known for serving as the Los Angeles Raiders team physician, Charlie Sheen's doctor, and a consultant on NBC's The Biggest Loser, made headlines this week when he confirmed to Variety that his North Robertson Boulevard practice has been offered more than $10,000 for early vaccinations.

"We've been offered bribes," he said. "We see people taking planes to every location. We've seen people try to transiently get into the healthcare profession or on staff at nursing homes, so they qualify for an early vaccine."

Huizenga also told Variety that many of the people trying to elbow their way into early vaccines are Hollywood power players. "You can't really blame them for pulling out all the stops," he said. "The state and the government have set up a system that is really horrendous."

"It's 'The Hunger Games' out there," an anonymous Hollywood executive told the magazine.

The rush intensifies as California faces criticism for a slow vaccine rollout. While all Californians 65 and older are eligible for vaccinations, as well as healthcare workers, first responders, food and agricultural workers, and school staff, the rollout has been plagued with sites running out of doses, hard to navigate bureaucracy, and allergic reactions. The state currently ranks 11th among the 15 states with the least number of per people per 10,000 who received one or more doses of the vaccine, according to a Monday report from the CDC.

On Tuesday, the state revised its plan and announced that it would be prioritizing age over profession after members of high-risk professions are vaccinated.

So those with power and influence are doing everything they can to skip the line. In December, the Los Angeles Times reported that the wealthy are offering to donate thousands of dollars to get early vaccines. Dr. Jeff Toll, who has admitting privileges at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, told The Times that a patient asked if a $25,000 donation would bump up their place in line. Toll said he tells the patients that those designated as the most high-risk should be prioritized.

Dr. Ehsan Ali, who runs Beverly Hills Concierge Doctor on Brighton Way, told The Times in December that his office is getting hundreds of calls every single day. Ali is a concierge doctor, meaning that his patients, who include Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber, pay between $2,000 and $10,000 a year for personalized care.

"This is the first time where I have not been able to get something for my patients," Ali said.

At Beverly Hills' iconic Mickey Fine pharmacy, an employee told Patch that they 20-30 calls per day inquiring about the vaccine, but say they have not received any bribes.

"We get many calls, emails, and messages from social media," owner Gina Raphael told Patch in an email. "We are also getting many requests from people who have received the first dose elsewhere and remain concerned about getting the second dose."

Raphael said that the pharmacy has been granted approval to proceed, and have the freezers necessary to store the vaccines. She said that they requested a delivery next week, but has not yet received notification if they will be delivered.

"When we receive the vaccines, we will only administer them according to the guidelines provided by the County," she said.

A number of medical professionals have spoken out against these reported bribes. The American Medical Association told Newsweek in a statement: "Physicians should advocate for and abide by policies and procedures that allocate scarce health care resources fairly among patients in keeping with established public health criteria."

UCLA Health told Newsweek that "Philanthropic support is in no way a criterion to determine vaccine candidacy, and no program or options exist to bypass vaccination priorities at UCLA Health. We are following the direction of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health."

What has your experience been trying to get vaccinated? Comment below or email michael.wittner@patch.com.

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