Healthcare fraud is a major problem in the United States. Fraud by medical providers drives up the costs of health insurance and healthcare in general. When medical service providers defraud people or the government, we all lose. If you or someone you know has been the victim of systematic fraud, you have rights. At Richardson, Patrick, Westbrook & Brickman, we help victims of fraud protect their rights.
Healthcare fraud can attacked under federal and state laws. One important tool in war against healthcare fraud is
The False Claims Act (
2). In an effort to eliminate fraud by people dealing with the government, The False Claims Act allows the whistleblower who reports the fraud to share a substantial portion (often 15%-25%) of the money recovered by the government. (See the
USDOJ Whistleblower Claim Form - PDF 35.9 KB.) The False Claims Act, also known as a "qui tam" action, allows people who have insider information of fraud against the government, to file a suit to help stop the bad actor from defrauding the United States' government. The purpose of the False Claims Act is to encourage private individuals who are aware of fraud being perpetrated against the government to alert the government and minimize the drain on taxpayers' funds.
In order to share in the government's recovery, the whistleblower must carefully comply with the False Claims Act and must not knowingly have participated in the fraud.
Anyone interested in making a claim under the whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act are strongly advised to consult a attorney to protect their rights.
Please
contact us with any questions or if you'd like to explore your legal rights.
