Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Health Care Fraud, Record $4.2 Billion Recovered In 2012,

Health and Human Services and the Department of Justice say that a record-breaking $4.2 billion were recovered as a result of joint efforts to address health care fraud in 2012.

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Attorney General Eric Holder issued a report which showed that for every dollar the US government spent on health care-related fraud and abuse investigations over the last 36 months, it got $7.90 back. This is a record over a three-year period since the HCFAC (Health Care Fraud and Abuse) Program began sixteen years ago.

Is this huge haul a sign of better coordination among public authorities, or does it reflect an increase in criminality? The Justice Department and HHS believe it is a sign of the government's health care fraud prevention and enforcement efforts. $4.2 billion (2012) is an increase from $4.1 billion in 2011.

The money was recovered from companies and individuals who had tried to defraud federal health programs aimed at seniors and taxpayers for payments they were not entitled to receive.$14.9 billion have been recovered over the last four years, compared to $6.7 billion during the previous four-year period. Over $23 billion have been returned to the MedicareTrust Funds since 1997 by the HCFAC Program.

According to the Office of the Inspector General, US Department of Health & Human Services, during the fiscal year 2012:

  • The Federal government won/negotiated more than $3.0 billion in health care fraud judgments and settlements, and it attained additional administrative impositions in health care fraud cases and proceedings.

  • About $4.2 billion were deposited with the Department of the Treasury and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, transferred to other Federal agencies administering health care programs, or paid to private persons during the fiscal year.

  • Of the $4.2 billion, the Medicare Trust Funds received transfers of approximately $2.4 billion during this period, and over $835.7 million in Federal Medicaid money was similarly transferred separately to the Treasury as a result of these efforts.
  • The HCFAC account has returned over $23.0 billion to the Medicare Trust Funds since the program started in 1997.
According to HHS, "These findings, released today in the annual HCFAC Program report, are a result of President Obama making the elimination of fraud, waste and abuse, particularly in health care, a top priority for the administration."

HEAT (Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team) was created in 2009 to fight fraud, abuse and waste in the Medicaid and Medicare programs, and to close in on people and entities which abuse the system and cost the American taxpayers billions of dollars.

Attorney General, Eric Holder, said:


Source found here

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