What is Medicare Fraud?

Medicare is administered by The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and is the largest health insurance program in America, covering up to 40 million US citizens every year.

This system provides a very valuable health care service but like private health care insurers it can be subject to fraud and misuse, and it is important that everyone who uses the system understands how it works, both in order to avoid any simple mistakes and also so that you can spot and report any attempts to take advantage of the system, which can help ensure that Medicare remains a viable and robust health care service into the future.

Types of Medicare Fraud
There are several different ways in which the Medicare system can be defrauded and these include:
•    Impersonation Fraud – this involves using another persons Medicare details in order to get medical care for free and also to mask the identity of illegal immigrants and wanted criminals from the authorities.
•    Billing Fraud – claiming for care, medication or equipment that: a) you never actually applied for, b) was different from what you actually received or c) was actually was returned unused.