US accuses hundreds of fraudsters on health care, opioid suppression

Receive last minute alerts and special reports. The United States Department of Justice on Thursday announced charges against 601 people, including doctors, for taking part in health frauds that resulted in more than $ 2 billion in losses and contributed to Arrests occurred as part of what, according to the ministry, was the biggest health care fraud in the history of the United States and included 162 doctors and other suspects accused of prescribing and dispensing opioid analgesics. 19659004] "Some of our most trusted health professionals are watching their patients – vulnerable people with addictions – and they are seeing signs of the dollar," said US Attorney General Jeff Sessions

. the Department of Justice. The crackdown has resulted in dozens of cases of alleged fraud that cost government health care programs and insurers more than $ 2 billion.

Authorities sought in the latest wave of repression to combat the opioid epidemic. According to the US Centers for Disease Control, the epidemic has caused more than 42,000 deaths from opioid overdoses in the United States in 2016.

In a report released Thursday, the Department of US Health and Human Services Inspector According to General, about 460,000 patients covered by Medicare received high amounts of opioids in 2017 and 71,000 were at risk of misuse or overdose.

These figures were slightly lower than those of 2016, but the report indicates that the high level of opioid use remains a concern. According to the report, nearly 300 prescribers had a "dubious prescription" that deserved further examination.

Many of the criminal cases announced Thursday involved charges against health professionals who, according to authorities, had contributed to the opioid epidemic.

The cases included charges in Texas against a pharmacy chain owner and two other people accused of using fraudulent orders to fulfill group orders of more than one million pills. hydrocodone and oxycodone sold to drug couriers

. The Justice Department also announced other cases unrelated to opioids, including government billing programs for Medicare, Medicaid and Tricare as well as private insurers for prescription drugs. medically medications not taken into account.