Charges of over $1.3 billion in health care fraud have been made by the DOJ

In the largest action ever taken of this nature the United States Department of Justice has charged hundreds of people with over a billion dollars in health care fraud.

It has been reported by The Washington Post that there have been charges made against more than 400 people for health care fraud amounting to $1.3 billion. This fraud dealt with false billings which included the prescription and distribution of opioids.

Federal officials have called this the largest health care fraud enforcement action which was ever taken by the Medicare Fraud Strike Force. There have been 412 arrests which included 115 doctors, nurses and other licensed medical professionals across the United States.

At a news conference Attorney General Jeff Sessions said that every 11 minutes an American dies from a drug overdose. He went on to say that greater than 2 million Americans are addicted to painkillers. Sessions was emphatic in saying arrests, prosecutions, convictions and incarcerations of fraudsters and drug dealers will continue.

This investigation has focused primarily on medical professionals who have been involved in the unlawful distribution of opioids and other prescription narcotics. Abuse of pharmaceutical opioids is largely to blame for a medical crisis which involves tens of thousands of overdoses of heroin and fentanyl.

Chuck Rosenberg, who is acting administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration, refers to deaths from drug overdoses as being an epidemic. Last year about 59,000 people died from overdoses of drugs and opioids are largely responsible for this. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports about 91 Americans die every single day from an overdose related to opioids.

Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe has said schoolteachers, doctors, nurses and fellow law enforcement officials have been arrested by narcotics officers. There were more prescriptions for controlled substances written in a month by some doctors than are written by entire hospitals according to McCabe.

Health and Human Services Inspector General Daniel Levinson has referred to health care fraud as being a “reprehensible crime.” This results in theft from taxpayers and adversely effects millions of Americans who depend on Medicare and Medicaid.

The United States Department of Justice has reported this is the largest health care fraud action which has taken place in the history of the Department of Justice. Over 120 defendants, which includes doctors, have been charged for taking part in illegal prescribing and distribution of opioids along with other dangerous narcotics. Suspension actions have begun against 295 providers. Doctors, nurses and pharmacists are among this group.

Attorney General Sessions has commented that too many medical professionals including doctors, nurses, and pharmacists have made the decision to violate their oaths and to place greed before the needs of their patients. He is amazed that many of these professionals have created multimillion dollar criminal enterprises out of their practices.

The Medicare Fraud Strike Force operations consist of a joint initiative between the Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human Services aimed at preventing and deterring fraud and enforcing current anti-fraud laws across the country. This action represents a significant step in protecting the public from health care fraud.