Dallas, TX, July 04, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- At an estimated annual cost of about $300 billion, the American people have been suffering from the consequences of healthcare fraudsters for a long time. But the increased fear, slackened health care regulations, and general anxiety has made the health care system even more at risk of fraudulent activity in the age of COVID-19.
What Is Healthcare Fraud?
Healthcare fraud comes in many forms, but can be generally defined as any crime that is committed that is involved with defrauding a health insurance policy says Dallas area criminal defense lawyer Clint Broden.
Examples of Provider Healthcare Fraud
- Sending bills for services never performed
- Falsifying test results or diagnoses in order to justify unnecessary treatment
- Billing for a service that is more expensive than the one performed
- Taking kickbacks for patients that were referred from elsewhere
- Other forms of patient over-billing
Examples of Consumer Healthcare Fraud
- Making insurance claims for services or medications not received or needed
- Forging receipts, bills, or medical documents
- Impersonating another person to use their coverage
Healthcare Fraud During a Pandemic
While the surface context of COVID-19 healthcare scams might be different, the structure of them remains largely the same. Telemarketing calls, phishing e-mails, and even door-to-door visits are being used to scam thousands of people out of their insurance information.
Other fraudsters have focused on bogus cures, fake test kits, and unproven treatments in order to fleece unsuspecting consumers of their healthcare dollars.
Typical Health Insurance Frauds Punishment
The maximum prison time for a healthcare fraud charge is 10 years according to federal regulations, but this number can double in cases where someone was physically harmed as a result of the fraud or scam.
Medical Identity Theft: A Growing Concern
The problem of medical identity theft has been growing for some time, and it is now feeding off the instability in an over-worked system that is bogged down by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Impersonating a doctor is a common form of medical identity theft, allowing fraudsters to write (& sell) prescriptions, a bill for expensive (& fake) services, or even simply get someone to willingly hand over all their personal information.
Defending Yourself Against White-Collar Crime in Healthcare
The best way to defend yourself against healthcare fraud is to learn to recognize the red flags. Any phone call, e-mail, or in-person visit can be an attempt to steal your personal medical information and can lead to an expensive consequence.
Being charged with healthcare f Dallas Health Care Fraud and White Collar Defense Attorneys Broden Mickelsenraud can result in up to 10 years in prison, but it could be a lot more if the fraud led to someone’s personal injury. In cases like these, experienced criminal defense attorneys need to be contacted as soon as possible.
If you have have been charged with a health care fraud or white collar crime and want to discuss your defense strategy with a an experienced criminal lawyer for Texas or Federal defense contact https://www.brodenmickelsen.com Top Rated Dallas Criminal Defense Lawyers
Defense Lawyers Broden & Mickelsen, LLP 2600 State St Dallas, Texas 75204 (214) 720-9552
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