Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services announce over $27.8 billion in returns from joint efforts to combat health care fraud

Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services announce over $27.8 billion in returns from joint efforts to combat health care fraud

Administration recovers $7.70 for every dollar spent to fight health care-related fraud and abuse; third-highest on record 

More than $27.8 billion has been returned to the Medicare Trust Fund over the life of the Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control (HCFAC) Program, Attorney General Eric Holder and HHS Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell announced today.  The government’s health care fraud prevention and enforcement efforts recovered $3.3 billion in taxpayer dollars in Fiscal Year (FY) 2014 from individuals and companies that attempted to defraud federal health programs, including programs serving seniors, persons with disabilities or those with low incomes. For every dollar spent on health care-related fraud and abuse investigations in the last three years, the administration recovered $7.70. This is about $2 higher than the average return on investment in the HCFAC program since it was created in 1997.  It is also the third-highest return on investment in the life of the program.

Read more about today's announcement.