Huge Percentage of Financial Fraud Against U.S. Government Comes From Healthcare Industry

[Donnachaidh]

http://my.firedoglake.com/deepharm/2011/06/06/huge-percentage-of-financial-fraud-against-u-s-government-comes-from-healthcare-industry/


According to some shocking new statistics from the nonprofit Taxpayers Against Fraud (TAF) public interest group, the ranks of the admitted federal cheaters are occupied almost entirely by health insurers and the healthcare pharmaceutical industry.

That’s the clear and thoroughly disturbing conclusion to be found in a revealing TAF study of the “Top 20” fraud lawsuits (ranked by dollar amounts) to have been decided by court judgments or agreed-upon settlements in recent years. Amazingly, the list of penalty awards – as adjudicated under legal procedures mandated by the U.S. False Claims Act – contains no fewer than 19 healthcare or health insurance entities . . . and only a single financial entity who isn’t engaged in the business of health insurance or medical care.

Astonishing? You bet it is. Even a quick look at the list of recent fraud convictions and fraud case settlements involving the U.S. healthcare industry (to review them for yourself: ) should be enough to make any alert taxpayer ask: Why haven’t all of these obvious fiscal abuses by healthinsurers and the pharmaceutical industry been reported in the news media . . . even as the entire nation continues to debate the future of healthcare reform?

As the Taxpayers Against Fraud website makes chillingly clear, some of America’s most best known and most trusted healthcare industry corporations are heading up the list of despicable cheaters whose conscienceless manipulation of federal health dollars has resulted in convictions or financial settlements with Uncle Sam.
Some appalling examples from the TAF “Top 20” list:

More at the link --

[Demeter]

1. Because Military Fraud is Classifed

and financial fraud at the Federal Reserve took a court case to spring loose.

[blm]

2. and healthcare/pharma ads are big bucks to corporate media - they'll never tell the truth about them

or the military industry, or the financial industry.

[Scuba]

3. See Florida Governor Rick Scott for details. n/t

[gratuitous]

4. But let's not cut them out of the loop with single payer

Because that would be teh soshalizm, and we'd rather be defrauded by the insurance and pharmaceutical industries.

[BlueIris]

5. Kick. Anthony who? nt.