What You Should Know About Medicaid & Medicare Fraud Reporting

In the last few years, a large number of Medicaid and Medicare fraud cases have been reported by conscientious individuals in the United States. These bold and courageous whistleblowers have helped the government to recover precious taxpayers' dollars from unscrupulous individuals and businesses. You can win a significant reward by reporting such frauds to law enforcement agencies. While some people are simply afraid of retaliation, many others have little or no information on Medicaid and Medicare fraud reporting. Read on to know more on how you can fearlessly do the right thing and be rewarded for it.

1. In most cases, Medicare and Medicaid fraud takes place on a very large scale. You will find only a very few examples where these frauds happened on a tiny level.
2. A giant health insurance program sponsored by the United States government, Medicare is meant to provide healthcare services to 46 million elderly and disabled American citizens. Every year, the United States government spends about half a trillion dollars on Medicare programs. Several individuals and businesses have come up with illegal techniques of stealing away these dollars.
3. As a rough estimate, around 60 billion dollars are wasted every year. This is the approximate amount of the money stolen by companies and individuals by submitting fraudulent Medicare claims.
4. There is not just one way to commit the above-mentioned frauds. Some service providers overcharge for their services and others offer inferior or non-standard service to their patients. Some doctors or healthcare centers may even claim funds for procedures that were never performed or treatments that were performed but never really needed.
5. Anyone can take a bold step to fight against such wrongdoings. You can assist the government in recovering stolen funds from companies and individuals who submit fraudulent claims. People who are on the receiving side of federal programs like Medicare and Medicaid should always verify their invoices. It's always helpful to keep all receipts, documents and dates of procedures etc. at one place. Discovering billing errors at a later date can be much easier this way.
6. Compare your receipts and other documents to the statements you receive from Medicaid and Medicare. You can easily find out if a service provider billed for an extra procedure, product or equipment.
7. You can win a large reward by reporting fraud. Individuals, groups or businesses found guilty of flouting regulatory compliances are made to pay back funds to the government. Government agencies pay a fraction of the total funds collected to the whistleblower. These rewards are given to encourage people to become whistleblowers.
8. You can file a qui tam lawsuit under the False Claims Act on behalf of the government. If you win, you can receive up to 30 percent of the money as monetary incentive for reporting the fraud and actively pursuing the case in the court of law.
9. It is important that you get in touch with attorneys specialized in Medicaid and Medicare fraud reporting. Not every lawyer in your locality can be of real help in case of qui tam lawsuits. In fact, the False Claims Act is so complex that it often demands the time, energy and expertise of more than one whistleblower attorney. An experienced and qualified lawyer with proven track record in related lawsuits can represent your case in the best possible manner.

Once you make up your mind to report a fraudulent activity, get in touch with a good lawyer. Before making a move, you need to be aware of the process. At the same time, it is advisable to understand various aspects of the False Claims Act and the Whistleblowers Protection Act as well. It is not hard to find law firms that can invest the time and resources necessary for winning a potential whistleblower case in the court of law.