SOCIAL SECURITY LAW: Scores Nabbed, Charged in $225 M Medicare Scam Nationwide

February 17, 2011

Washington – Federal authorities have announced the arrests of more than 100 doctors, nurses and therapists – the largest sweep in history - as part of government massive nationwide crackdown on Medicare fraud, reports said.

According to Attorney General Eric Holder, the crackdown was undertaken in nine cities and involved hundreds of millions of dollars in illegal Medicare bills.

Reports said more than 700 law enforcement agents arrested 111 people in various cities that include Miami, Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston, Dteroit, Chicago, Brooklyn, Tampa and Baton Rouge.

Authorities said Medicare fraud is costing the government nearly $60 billion to $90 billion a year.

Medicare has become one of the largest payer systems in the world involving approximately 1.3 licensed suppliers nationwide with 18, 000 new applications for benefits each month.

Recently, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius had promised to implement stricter and more decisive screening policies and to stop payment to suspicious providers as granted by the Affordable Care Act.