Fraud is a serious crime that could negatively impact innocent people’s lives. It is also true for health care fraud involving funds used to cover the medical needs of unsuspecting citizens. The New York State Office of the Medicaid Inspector General (OMIG) considers Medicaid fraud a severe problem, necessitating them to exert resources to address these incidents.
This type of fraud affects all New York citizens. They support and benefit from the public health care system. Additionally, Medicaid fraud’s impact could vary based on the victim’s societal role. The following individuals or entities could suffer the effects of Medicaid fraud:
- Taxpayers: Their taxes help support public health care. Fraud could affect this resource, reducing funding for those in need.
- Recipients: These people could suffer from inappropriate treatments if their provider commits fraud, misrepresenting their condition. Aside from unnecessarily losing time and money, they might also suffer side effects from misguided procedures.
- Providers: Incidents of fraud could have a long-term impact on providers, tarnishing their credibility. Trust is vital in the health care industry and Medicaid fraud could cause patients to harbor doubt toward providers. Additionally, providers could receive penalties for Medicaid fraud incidents, including considerable fines and jail time.
Medicaid fraud could happen on a broad scale, affecting a vast number of people at the same time. Everyone should know what it looks like to prevent it and catch those doing it.
Medicaid fraud could be simple or complex
Sometimes, it is easy to spot signs of Medicaid fraud. Lending identification details, using multiple IDs, or forging prescriptions could constitute health care fraud. However, some examples are more complicated, such as intentionally billing inaccurate treatments, selling prescriptions or receiving kickbacks for patient referrals.
New York citizens should report any suspicious activity that resembles Medicaid fraud. Doing so could serve yourself, others and all residents in New York.
