The Department of Justice announced that it would charge 412 individuals with health care fraud. Those 412 individuals, including 56 doctors, are being held liable for $1.3 billion in false billings. Attorney General Jeff Sessions made the following remarks at the press conference:
Too many trusted medical professionals like doctors, nurses, and pharmacists have chosen to violate their oaths and put greed ahead of their patients. Amazingly, some have made their practices into multimillion dollar criminal enterprises. They seem oblivious to the disastrous consequences of their greed. Their actions not only enrich themselves often at the expense of taxpayers but also feed addictions and cause addictions to start. The consequences are real: emergency rooms, jail cells, futures lost, and graveyards. While today is a historic day, the Department’s work is not finished. In fact, it is just beginning. We will continue to find, arrest, prosecute, convict, and incarcerate fraudsters and drug dealers wherever they are.
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Tom Price joined Attorney General Sessions at the press conference, making the following remarks:
Healthcare fraud is a crime that deserves special condemnation and requires special cooperation to combat. Not only does it involve stealing billions of taxpayer dollars from America’s seniors and medically needy, but it also undermines the American people’s trust in their healthcare system and our nation’s most important public institutions.
As a physician, and as secretary of HHS, I can tell you that this distrust is misplaced.
America has the best doctors and healthcare providers in the world. But their ability to provide affordable, high-quality care to their patients is jeopardized every time a criminal commits healthcare fraud.
So it’s important to recognize that the individuals targeted with our takedown operations are in the business not of caring for patients, but of manipulating and exploiting them.
According to the Department of Justice, 41 federal districts are involved in this major crackdown on health care fraud.
National #HealthCareFraud Takedown Results in Charges Against >412 Individuals Responsible for $1.3B in Fraud Losses https://t.co/7eWXA2zNF7 pic.twitter.com/xsNPrCZNyQ
— Justice Department (@TheJusticeDept) July 13, 2017
Watch the full press conference below:
WATCH: #Periscope: AG Jeff Sessions and HHS Secretary Tom Price announce plan to cut down on #healthcare fraud. https://t.co/WPt0TU0KAb
— PBS NewsHour (@NewsHour) July 13, 2017