Medicare Fraud in Texas

Medicare fraud is a crime.

Medicare fraud occurs when medical providers and patients cheat the Medicare system. It is a crime so common and serious that the Texas Attorney General's office has a special division dedicated to the prosecution of offending patients and medical providers.

Fraudulent Billing and Patient Abuse

Medicare fraud most often involves fraudulent billing practices by medical providers. Though most medical providers are committed to providing high quality care and accurate billing, some less honorable medical providers pad bills with services and equipment that were never provided or at unusually high prices.

Doctor's Leaving

Because of changes to federal law, many doctors discontinued accepting Medicare, primarily because of reimbursement cuts. Medicare fraud contributes to the financial limits of Medicare, costing the program $47 billion in 2008, funds that could be used to provide fair reimbursements to doctors.

Filing a Complaint

The Texas Attorney General's Medicare Fraud Control Unit is headquartered in Austin, with eight branch locations. Complaints can be filed at:

Health and Human Services Commission

Office of the Inspector General

General Investigations Division, MC 1362

P.O. Box 85200

Austin, TX 78708-5200

1-800-436-6184

References

• Attorney General of Texas: Medicare Fraud Control Unit
• Houston Chronicle: Texas doctors opting out of Medicare at alarming rate
• Medicare.gov: Medicare Fraud
• New America Foundation: Cost: Medicare fraud gets increased scrutiny