California is shaking down taxpayers — and the getaway vehicle is an ambulance

California has found yet another way to pick the pockets of American taxpayers, and the getaway vehicle is literally an ambulance.

For years, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D-CA) California has run a shell game with Medicaid, dressing up a cash grab as if it were legitimate health policy. The scheme is simple once you strip away the bureaucratic fog: California is letting government-run ambulance services stack payment on top of payment for the same single ambulance ride, until taxpayers across the U.S. are footing a bill worth many multiples of what the ride actually costs.