Medicare Fraud And Scams – How To Protect Yourself
It happened again.
Every week it’s something new to be wary of… and this week it’s Medicare Fraud.
There’s so much money floating around in the Medicare system… and so few people are paying attention to the money… the entire system is ripe with fraud.
Consider the most recent case to be uncovered.
In Los Angeles, three medical clinics were indicted in a conspiracy to “Pay illegal kickbacks for medical procedures that were never actually provided.”
The FBI and a whole host of other government agencies and legal departments announced the findings.
Two individuals (who I won’t name because they aren’t proven guilty yet) were charged with:
- Conspiracy to commit health care fraud
- Heath care fraud, and
- Conspiracy to pay health care kickbacks
Apparently these two individuals paid marketers illegal kickbacks to recruit Medicare beneficiaries to the clinics, then submitted false claims for tests they were never provided.
Over the four year span, they submitted over $4.5 million in fake claims to Medicare!
First, I’m glad the government is cracking down on cases like these… Medicare is expensive enough. And cutting costs any way possible is a strong signal to send.
Second, I’m sick to my stomach that individuals like this would try to scam the system.
It’s just bad Karma.
But not only that, they are facing a real threat of jail time… and I hope they get it.
Listen, if you’re being treated under Medicare, make sure to study your bills closely. Make sure the treatments Medicare is paying for are the same ones you’re receiving. It’s the least we can all do to keep costs down.
Why is it important?
Medicare is expensive and the politicians are already gunning for changes…
There are proposals for increasing deductibles, adding Medigap surcharges, higher home health costs, and overall making the patients foot more of the bill…
Now consider this – 37% of the average social security check went to healthcare in 2010… aren’t we paying enough for healthcare?
Stop the fraud now to help lower costs. If you find something strange on your healthcare bill… contact Medicare ASAP! Go to this site for more information… stopmedicarefraud.gov.
Fyi-Medicare Staff
SOURCES:
http://crowncitynews.com/news/8787/manager-of-three-la-medical-clinics-indicted-in-4-million-medicare-fraud-scheme/
http://newportdispatch.com/2014/10/17/medicare-cost-shifting-the-next-big-worry-for-seniors-2/
http://www.stopmedicarefraud.gov./
Category: Medicare Facts, Tips, and Tricks
