Medicare Fraud Strike Force Strikes Again, Arresting 90 People
Also, an examination of the maybe-confusing array of Medicare plans.
The Wall Street Journal: Task Force Accuses 90 Of Bilking Medicare
A federal task force on Tuesday charged 90 people, including 16 doctors, with generating $260 million of false Medicare billings following raids in cities across the country. The arrests mark the seventh notable crackdown by the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, a joint effort of the Justice Department and the Department of Health and Human Services (Carreyrou and Stewart, 5/13).
Reuters: Ninety People Arrested Across U.S. In $260M Medicare Fraud
Since 2007, when federal agencies stepped up efforts to crack down on Medicare fraud, authorities have arrested and charged more than 1,900 people who collectively have falsely billed more than $6 billion to the government health program for the elderly and disabled. A majority of the recent arrests were made in south Florida, which has emerged as a hotbed of Medicare fraud (Fagenson, 5/13).
In other Medicare news -
Kaiser Health News: Do Seniors Have Too Many Medicare Plans To Choose From?
While choice may sound like a good thing, many seniors say they find it difficult to compare plans. As a result, they often stick with the same plan even if it is not best suited to them, according to a new report from the Kaiser Family Foundation based on conversations with beneficiaries in Memphis, Tennessee; Tampa, Florida; Baltimore; and Seattle (Galewitz, 5/14).