A California respiratory therapist, Curtis Kurkova, and his medical supply company, HeroCare, are under intense scrutiny following reports of an alleged $40.5 million in billings to the federal-state Medicaid program since 2020. The substantial financial inflow has coincided with Kurkova's acquisition of numerous luxury assets, including a $28 million estate in Hidden Hills, California, prompting calls for a thorough investigation into the company's billing practices.
According to a three-month investigation, HeroCare, ostensibly a provider of pediatric respiratory equipment, has seen its Medicaid revenue surge dramatically. Federal data indicates the company received approximately $34.4 million in just 2023 and 2024. This financial boom saw Kurkova purchase the Hidden Hills mansion through a limited liability company, securing a nearly $19 million loan in January. Social media posts from Kurkova’s husband, Christian, reportedly showcased a lavish lifestyle, including private jet travel and luxury items, with one post referencing government reimbursements.
The investigation highlighted a significant disparity between HeroCare's public presence and its financial scale. The company's website reportedly offers no biography for its manager, lists an empty online shop, and saw a "Featured Products" section disappear midway through the inquiry. Phone calls to HeroCare's listed number went unanswered, and in-person visits to its registered addresses in Chino and Van Nuys revealed locked units or small, temporary signs, with one address hosting an entirely different business.
Further details uncovered during the probe include a previously undisclosed identity change for Curtis Kurkova, who legally abandoned the name Curtis Ray Hotchkiss Jr. in 2023. Business filings also show a churn of related entities formed and dissolved by Kurkova. A man named Michael Amar, formerly Michael Hotchkiss and also a licensed respiratory practitioner, launched a separate company, Hero Healthcare Group, in 2025, using a phone number previously associated with HeroCare. Amar has denied any connection to HeroCare LLC. State health officials confirmed that medical-equipment-distribution licenses tied to both Curtis Kurkova and Michael Hotchkiss expired earlier this year, though HeroCare's Van Nuys site license remains active.
The rapid financial growth of HeroCare is particularly striking, rising from $7,800 in Medicaid billings in 2020 to $18.86 million in 2024. Despite its marketing focus on pediatric respiratory equipment, federal billing data shows nearly 30 percent of HeroCare’s Medicaid revenue was derived from urinary catheter codes.
Fraud specialists have voiced strong concerns regarding these patterns. Sam Adolphsen, a fraud expert and former chief operating officer for Maine’s Department of Health and Human Services, described the situation as raising "a lot of questions that must be resolved." Adolphsen stated, "This appears to be, by definition, a credible allegation of fraud, in a state where the political leadership seems to totally ignore fraud." Haywood Talcove, CEO of LexisNexis Risk Solutions for Government, echoed these sentiments, calling the growth pattern a "red flag demanding federal attention." Talcove emphasized that the extraordinary growth in a niche market serving "an extremely small and vulnerable population" is a "statistical anomaly that demands a serious investigation." He urged the Department of Justice, HHS-OIG, and California Medicaid officials to determine whether the services were medically necessary, actually delivered, and properly billed.
California’s broader Medicaid system, Medi-Cal, has faced scrutiny for years, with federal health officials estimating a 25 percent fraud rate within the program since 2019. While no government agency has publicly accused HeroCare of misconduct, other comparable companies in the industry have faced significant penalties. SuperCare Health Inc. settled fraud allegations for $3.31 million in 2021, and Lincare Inc. paid $25.5 million in 2024 over ventilator billing claims.
Reporters made multiple attempts to contact Curtis Kurkova, Christian Kurkova, and Michael Amar for comment, providing a detailed list of findings, including the reported billing totals. None responded directly. Subsequently, a lawyer identifying himself only as "Mike" contacted the outlet, accused it of bias, and declined to confirm if HeroCare was still operational, later suggesting he might not represent Kurkova. Shortly after the findings were published, the social media accounts of both Curtis and Christian Kurkova were reportedly locked.
The revelations underscore persistent challenges in overseeing large-scale public health programs and ensuring the integrity of taxpayer funds. The scale of the alleged billings and the associated luxury purchases have intensified calls for federal and state authorities to conduct a comprehensive audit and investigation into HeroCare's operations and billing practices.
