About Health Insurance Fraud
Health insurance fraud is a very serious issue that is quite common throughout the United States. It is reported that roughly 1 out of every 7 dollars spent on Medicare is due to health insurance fraud in America. The prevalence of health insurance fraud is just one of the reasons that premium payments for health insurance continue to increase. There are different types of fraud concerning health insurance, but they almost always are for financial gain for the individual who deliberately performs them. Fraud can include an individual billing the insurance agency for services/medications that were never provided, not including pre-existing medical conditions on your initial application for health insurance, or even stealing another individual policy number just the same way as someone would steal another social security number or bank account number. This type of fraud is considered a federal offense, and can result in up to 10 years in prison in addition to fines and penalties. Health insurance fraud can be prevented if you keep an eye on your health insurance report and review all the services that were paid for during any certain period of time. If there is any discrepancy or you are unsure as to what some of the items are on your health insurance activity report, then call your provider to clear up these discrepancies.