South Florida Criminal Attorneys Blog
Florida sees a large number of Medicare and Medicaid fraud cases because of its high population of seniors and the size of its healthcare system. Federal agencies watch these programs closely, and when they suspect fraud, they do not hesitate to investigate. Understanding how healthcare fraud is defined is the first step in protecting yourself.
What is Healthcare Fraud?
Healthcare fraud happens when a person lies, hides facts, or submits false claims in order to get paid by Medicare or Medicaid. Fraud requires intent. In other words, the person must have known what they were doing. Billing mistakes or paperwork errors are usually handled as compliance issues, not criminal cases. To charge someone with fraud, the government must show that the person meant to receive money they were not entitled to.