In another recent Medicare scam, 20 people in California have been charged for fraudulently billing Medicare nearly $26 million, according to a Seattle Times article.
According Lanny Breuer, head of the Justice Department's criminal division in Washington, the arrests were more evidence of the increased pursuit of Medicare fraud – a problem which costs the U.S. almost $60 billion annually.
In the California, some of the allegations included fraudulent billing for unneeded wheelchairs and hospital beds. Other schemes involved orders for "wheelchairs that went to people that never needed them, wheelchairs that went to people that never received them, and wheelchairs that were purchased by people who were already deceased," Breuer said.
