The federal government recovered $2.4 billion from healthcare fraud judgments in 2015, according to the Department of Justice. A portion of the money recovered came as the result of work by the Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control program, which coordinates federal, state and local law enforcement to fight healthcare fraud.
In addition, DOJ obtained more than $1.9 billion in settlements and judgments through the federal False Claims Act. The False Claims Act makes it possible for private citizens to blow the whistle on healthcare fraud. These individuals, referred to as relators, can file a lawsuit on behalf of the government to recover money improperly taken from programs like Medicaid and Medicare. The whistleblower can then receive a portion of any successful recovery as a reward.
