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While Republicans lambast the cost of implementing health care reform, a new report shows that their efforts to repeal the law have come at a major cost to taxpayers -- to the tune of nearly $50 million. The House of Representatives again voted to repeal President Obama's signature health care law on Wednesday, marking the 33rd time Republicans have attempted to take down the legislation. The 32 previous repeal efforts faltered at the hands of the Democrat-controlled Senate; the latest attempt is unlikely to break that pattern. According to a report by CBS News, these efforts, widely viewed as symbolic political maneuvers, come with a high price tag. CBS' Nancy Cordes reported Wednesday that Republicans' many fruitless attempts at repealing the Affordable Care Act have taken up at least 80 hours of time on the House floor since 2010, amounting to two full work weeks. As the House, according to the Congressional Research Service, costs taxpayers $24 million a week to operate, those two weeks amounted to a total cost of approximately $48 million. The AP relays background on the GOP's repeal efforts: There was never any doubt that Republicans had the votes to pass the repeal in the House on Wednesday - or that it would die in the Senate, where Democrats possessed more than enough strength to block it. That's what happened in January 2011, when the newly installed Republican majority first voted to repeal the law a few days after taking office. In the months since, the GOP has taken repeated further swipes at the law, including votes to deny salaries to any government officials who enforce it, to abolish a board of officials charged with holding down Medicare costs in the future and to repeal a tax on medical devices. With the exception of a few relatively modest changes accepted by the White House, all the rest have died in the Senate. Although Republicans have remained vocal on repeal since the Supre

WASHINGTON -- With the debate over the Affordable Care Act law morphing from a constitutional matter before the Supreme Court to an implementation matter beforestate houses, President Barack Obama and allied Democrats are refiguring their sales pitch. In response to criticisms that the law hamstrings governors, defenders of the president's health care law will be championing a states-rights amendment that already enjoys Republican support. Under current law, states are allowed to opt out of various requirements of the Affordable Care Act by 2017, provided that they meet minimal standards for coverage. The Empowering States to Innovate Act would move that date to 2014. For the Obama White House, the amendment has a number of politically appealing aspects. The most obvious is that it provides an avenue to the type of federalist approach that the Republican Party, and its standard-bearer Mitt Romney, has argued should have been adopted in the first place. More bluntly, the co-sponsor of the amendment, along with Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), is Sen. Scott Brown, a Massachusetts Republican who happens to share a senior adviser with Romney. When top Obama administration officials were asked how they would go about selling the law in the immediate aftermath of the court's ruling, one of the three provisions they cited was the opt-out amendment. It was equally telling that the president made a point of emphasizing the idea in his post-SCOTUS remarks. "Each state will take the lead in designing their own menu of options, and if states can come up with even better ways of covering more people at the same quality and cost, this law allows them to do that, too," Obama said. "And I've asked Congress to help speed up that process, and give states this flexibility in year one." Perhaps the most obvious signal that the White House sees the amendment as a campaign instrument came in February 2011, when the president declared -- in a bit of prescience with respect to the GOP prim

WASHINGTON -- With the debate over the Affordable Care Act law morphing from a constitutional matter before the Supreme Court to an implementation matter before state houses, President Barack Obama and allied Democrats are refiguring their sales pitch. In response to criticisms that the law hamstrings governors, defenders of the president's health care law will be championing a states-rights amendment that already enjoys Republican support. Under current law, states are allowed to opt out of various requirements of the Affordable Care Act by 2017, provided that they meet minimal standards for coverage. The Empowering States to Innovate Act would move that date to 2014. For the Obama White House, the amendment has a number of politically appealing aspects. The most obvious is that it provides an avenue to the type of federalist approach that the Republican Party, and its standard-bearer Mitt Romney, has argued should have been adopted in the first place. More bluntly, the co-sponsor of the amendment, along with Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), is Sen. Scott Brown, a Massachusetts Republican who happens to share a senior adviser with Romney. When top Obama administration officials were asked how they would go about selling the law in the immediate aftermath of the court's ruling, one of the three provisions they cited was the opt-out amendment. It was equally telling that the president made a point of emphasizing the idea in his post-SCOTUS remarks. "Each state will take the lead in designing their own menu of options, and if states can come up with even better ways of covering more people at the same quality and cost, this law allows them to do that, too," Obama said. "And I've asked Congress to help speed up that process, and give states this flexibility in year one." Perhaps the most obvious signal that the White House sees the amendment as a campaign instrument came in February 2011, when the president declared -- in a bit of prescience with respect to

Again we see a classic case of our troops dying in a war that serves no justification other than simply lining the pockets of the elite fraudsters some of whom are connected to very senior MP's and Lords in the UK! You will recall that Gordon Bowden and I have been pulling our hair out for a few years now trying to force some sort of action against the massive fraudster that operate in this country from corporate executives to bank CEO's to very senior MP's and the elite in the House of Lords. Ever asked yourself why the Serious Fraud Officer, Police or even "clean" (if we have any!) Members of Parliament never raise such issues during Prime Minister's Question Time? I keep asking myself why is it that no one speaks out and brings these "Political Crooks" to justice? Why don't the Unions and their members take to the streets and hold a peaceful protest outside the House of Parliament, 10 Downing Street or even at one of the many "Boiler Rooms" in the City of London? Why is everyone so afraid to reveal the very thing that has and continues to ruin the economy of the United Kingdom? We have our Prime Minister telling us all that severe austerity measures have to be implemented in order to pay off this huge toxic debt that has been handed down to us from the previous government under Gordon Brown. It's an absolute joke…. When are you, the British public, going to open your eyes and understand that you will always be screwed and always remain the underdogs as long as our leaders get away with it. We now see a US congressional probe into such fraud and yet two of the companies are British and operate out of one of those "Boiler Rooms" right here in the City of London at 788-790 Finchley Road, NW11 7TJ. How come we the British are not investigating the massive fraud being carried out by those two companies at the above address that were privileged to share in some of the $1.069 billion that has been handed out in US contracts?

Police have arrested more than 1,900 people suspected of making and selling fake medicine ina series of raids on underground production bases, the Ministry of Public Security said onSunday. The nationwide operation, which started on July 25 and involved 18,000 police officers in 31provincial-level regions, has crushed 24 networks manufacturing counterfeit medical productsworth 1.16 billion yuan ($182 million). Police seized 205 million tablets designed to look like brand-name products for treatinghypertension, diabetes, skin diseases and cancer, the ministry said. Some medicines contained sibutramine, a chemical used to treat obesity that was banned bythe State Food and Drug Administration in 2010 due to fears that it increases the risk ofcardiovascular problems. The suspects also put sedative and hallucinogenic chemicals into the tablets to deceiveconsumers into believing that the fake drugs had an effect. Police also found bottles of normal saline solution labeled as a rabies vaccine. The ministry said it has destroyed a large number of production sites and trade channels in thepast two years. However, the crime is "far from being rooted out, as such criminals have come up with newmethods", the ministry said in its online statement. The ministry also said it had found sham promotions of fake products on the Internet, televisionand magazines during the crackdown. A ministry spokesperson warned that people should purchase medicines in hospitals andpharmacies who are trusted vendors of genuine products, and advised against buyingmedicines that do not have approved names and numbers distributed by the SFDA. "The ministry welcomes reports on the manufacture and sale of fake drugs," read the ministrystatement. "We will reward informers 500 to 50,000 yuan if the report is found to be true. Weoffer ample rewards to those who play an important role in cracking large gangs committingsuch crimes." Li Zhongdong, a pharmacist at the Air Force G

Accusing the state government of taking arbitrary action against doctors in a uterus removal scam and considering passage of a draconian Nursing Home Act which will 'ruin private healthcare facilities', the Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Monday warned of a state-wide agitation if the government failed to address the issue in time. State president of IMA Dr A Hamdani said: "Doctors will take to the streets if the government does not make public the report of the probe against doctors in the controversial uterus removal scam within two days, besides amending the norms of the proposed Private Nursing Homes Act, which is intended to ruin the private health facilities in Chhattisgarh. "IMA president of the Raipur chapter Dr Ajay Sahay said: "Only the Medical Council of India has the power to suspend the licence of a medical practitioner. The state government does not have that power, but it deliberately acted against private doctors before probing the case." He added: "Now the final decision in the case is being delayed, which will take away the doctors' legal right to challenge the decision in court." An unfazed health minister Amar Agrawal said: "The government will not succumb to pressure. The probe will take its time. The guilty will not be spared." Private doctors reportedly removed the uterus of hundreds of women, mostly in rural areas, telling the victims that if their uterus was not removed, it could cause cancer. The IMA Chhattisgarh state unit has warned of a stir if the government doesn't declare the report of the probe and revokes the suspension of licences of doctors by August 8. Hamdani and Sahay said they will meet chief minister Raman Singh, health minister Amar Agrawal and officials of the health department to resolve the issue.

Accusing the state government of taking arbitrary action against doctors in a uterus removal scam and considering passage of a draconian Nursing Home Act which will 'ruin private healthcare facilities', the Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Monday warned of a state-wide agitation if the government failed to address the issue in time. State president of IMA Dr A Hamdani said: "Doctors will take to the streets if the government does not make public the report of the probe against doctors in the controversial uterus removal scam within two days, besides amending the norms of the proposed Private Nursing Homes Act, which is intended to ruin the private health facilities in Chhattisgarh. "IMA president of the Raipur chapter Dr Ajay Sahay said: "Only the Medical Council of India has the power to suspend the licence of a medical practitioner. The state government does not have that power, but it deliberately acted against private doctors before probing the case." He added: "Now the final decision in the case is being delayed, which will take away the doctors' legal right to challenge the decision in court." An unfazed health minister Amar Agrawal said: "The government will not succumb to pressure. The probe will take its time. The guilty will not be spared." Private doctors reportedly removed the uterus of hundreds of women, mostly in rural areas, telling the victims that if their uterus was not removed, it could cause cancer. The IMA Chhattisgarh state unit has warned of a stir if the government doesn't declare the report of the probe and revokes the suspension of licences of doctors by August 8. Hamdani and Sahay said they will meet chief minister Raman Singh, health minister Amar Agrawal and officials of the health department to resolve the issue.

Police have arrested more than 1,900 people suspected of making and selling fake medicine in a series of raids on underground production bases, the Ministry of Public Security said on Sunday. The nationwide operation, which started on July 25 and involved 18,000 police officers in 31 provincial-level regions, has crushed 24 networks manufacturing counterfeit medical products worth 1.16 billion yuan ($182 million). Police seized 205 million tablets designed to look like brand-name products for treating hypertension, diabetes, skin diseases and cancer, the ministry said. Some medicines contained sibutramine, a chemical used to treat obesity that was banned by the State Food and Drug Administration in 2010 due to fears that it increases the risk of cardiovascular problems. The suspects also put sedative and hallucinogenic chemicals into the tablets to deceive consumers into believing that the fake drugs had an effect. Police also found bottles of normal saline solution labeled as a rabies vaccine. The ministry said it has destroyed a large number of production sites and trade channels in the past two years. However, the crime is "far from being rooted out, as such criminals have come up with new methods", the ministry said in its online statement. The ministry also said it had found sham promotions of fake products on the Internet, television and magazines during the crackdown. A ministry spokesperson warned that people should purchase medicines in hospitals and pharmacies who are trusted vendors of genuine products, and advised against buying medicines that do not have approved names and numbers distributed by the SFDA. "The ministry welcomes reports on the manufacture and sale of fake drugs," read the ministry statement. "We will reward informers 500 to 50,000 yuan if the report is found to be true. We offer ample rewards to those who play an important role in cracking large gangs committing such crimes." Li Zhongdong, a pharmacist at

Accusing the state government of taking arbitrary action against doctors in a uterus removal scam and considering passage of a draconian Nursing Home Act which will 'ruin private healthcare facilities', the Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Monday warned of a state-wide agitation if the government failed to address the issue in time. State president of IMA Dr A Hamdani said: "Doctors will take to the streets if the government does not make public the report of the probe against doctors in the controversial uterus removal scam within two days, besides amending the norms of the proposed Private Nursing Homes Act, which is intended to ruin the private health facilities in Chhattisgarh. "IMA president of the Raipur chapter Dr Ajay Sahay said: "Only the Medical Council of India has the power to suspend the licence of a medical practitioner. The state government does not have that power, but it deliberately acted against private doctors before probing the case." He added: "Now the final decision in the case is being delayed, which will take away the doctors' legal right to challenge the decision in court." An unfazed health minister Amar Agrawal said: "The government will not succumb to pressure. The probe will take its time. The guilty will not be spared." Private doctors reportedly removed the uterus of hundreds of women, mostly in rural areas, telling the victims that if their uterus was not removed, it could cause cancer. The IMA Chhattisgarh state unit has warned of a stir if the government doesn't declare the report of the probe and revokes the suspension of licences of doctors by August 8. Hamdani and Sahay said they will meet chief minister Raman Singh, health minister Amar Agrawal and officials of the health department to resolve the issue.

Accusing the state government of taking arbitrary action against doctors in a uterus removal scam and considering passage of a draconian Nursing Home Act which will 'ruin private healthcare facilities', the Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Monday warned of a state-wide agitation if the government failed to address the issue in time. State president of IMA Dr A Hamdani said: "Doctors will take to the streets if the government does not make public the report of the probe against doctors in the controversial uterus removal scam within two days, besides amending the norms of the proposed Private Nursing Homes Act, which is intended to ruin the private health facilities in Chhattisgarh. "IMA president of the Raipur chapter Dr Ajay Sahay said: "Only the Medical Council of India has the power to suspend the licence of a medical practitioner. The state government does not have that power, but it deliberately acted against private doctors before probing the case." He added: "Now the final decision in the case is being delayed, which will take away the doctors' legal right to challenge the decision in court." An unfazed health minister Amar Agrawal said: "The government will not succumb to pressure. The probe will take its time. The guilty will not be spared." Private doctors reportedly removed the uterus of hundreds of women, mostly in rural areas, telling the victims that if their uterus was not removed, it could cause cancer. The IMA Chhattisgarh state unit has warned of a stir if the government doesn't declare the report of the probe and revokes the suspension of licences of doctors by August 8. Hamdani and Sahay said they will meet chief minister Raman Singh, health minister Amar Agrawal and officials of the health department to resolve the issue.

Police have arrested more than 1,900 people suspected of making and selling fake medicine in a series of raids on underground production bases, the Ministry of Public Security said on Sunday. The nationwide operation, which started on July 25 and involved 18,000 police officers in 31 provincial-level regions, has crushed 24 networks manufacturing counterfeit medical products worth 1.16 billion yuan ($182 million). Police seized 205 million tablets designed to look like brand-name products for treating hypertension, diabetes, skin diseases and cancer, the ministry said. Some medicines contained sibutramine, a chemical used to treat obesity that was banned by the State Food and Drug Administration in 2010 due to fears that it increases the risk of cardiovascular problems. The suspects also put sedative and hallucinogenic chemicals into the tablets to deceive consumers into believing that the fake drugs had an effect. Police also found bottles of normal saline solution labeled as a rabies vaccine. The ministry said it has destroyed a large number of production sites and trade channels in the past two years. However, the crime is "far from being rooted out, as such criminals have come up with new methods", the ministry said in its online statement. The ministry also said it had found sham promotions of fake products on the Internet, television and magazines during the crackdown. A ministry spokesperson warned that people should purchase medicines in hospitals and pharmacies who are trusted vendors of genuine products, and advised against buying medicines that do not have approved names and numbers distributed by the SFDA. "The ministry welcomes reports on the manufacture and sale of fake drugs," read the ministry statement. "We will reward informers 500 to 50,000 yuan if the report is found to be true. We offer ample rewards to those who play an important role in cracking large gangs committing such crimes." Li Zhongdong, a pharmacist at the Air Force General

Police have arrested more than 1,900 people suspected of making and selling fake medicine ina series of raids on underground production bases, the Ministry of Public Security said onSunday. The nationwide operation, which started on July 25 and involved 18,000 police officers in 31provincial-level regions, has crushed 24 networks manufacturing counterfeit medical productsworth 1.16 billion yuan ($182 million). Police seized 205 million tablets designed to look like brand-name products for treatinghypertension, diabetes, skin diseases and cancer, the ministry said. Some medicines contained sibutramine, a chemical used to treat obesity that was banned bythe State Food and Drug Administration in 2010 due to fears that it increases the risk ofcardiovascular problems. The suspects also put sedative and hallucinogenic chemicals into the tablets to deceiveconsumers into believing that the fake drugs had an effect. Police also found bottles of normal saline solution labeled as a rabies vaccine. The ministry said it has destroyed a large number of production sites and trade channels in thepast two years. However, the crime is "far from being rooted out, as such criminals have come up with newmethods", the ministry said in its online statement. The ministry also said it had found sham promotions of fake products on the Internet, televisionand magazines during the crackdown. A ministry spokesperson warned that people should purchase medicines in hospitals andpharmacies who are trusted vendors of genuine products, and advised against buyingmedicines that do not have approved names and numbers distributed by the SFDA. "The ministry welcomes reports on the manufacture and sale of fake drugs," read the ministrystatement. "We will reward informers 500 to 50,000 yuan if the report is found to be true. Weoffer ample rewards to those who play an important role in cracking large gangs committingsuch crimes." Li Zhongdong, a pharmacist at the Air Force General Hospital in Bei

Accusing the state government of taking arbitrary action against doctors in a uterus removal scam and considering passage of a draconian Nursing Home Act which will 'ruin private healthcare facilities', the Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Monday warned of a state-wide agitation if the government failed to address the issue in time. State president of IMA Dr A Hamdani said: "Doctors will take to the streets if the government does not make public the report of the probe against doctors in the controversial uterus removal scam within two days, besides amending the norms of the proposed Private Nursing Homes Act, which is intended to ruin the private health facilities in Chhattisgarh. "IMA president of the Raipur chapter Dr Ajay Sahay said: "Only the Medical Council of India has the power to suspend the licence of a medical practitioner. The state government does not have that power, but it deliberately acted against private doctors before probing the case." He added: "Now the final decision in the case is being delayed, which will take away the doctors' legal right to challenge the decision in court." An unfazed health minister Amar Agrawal said: "The government will not succumb to pressure. The probe will take its time. The guilty will not be spared." Private doctors reportedly removed the uterus of hundreds of women, mostly in rural areas, telling the victims that if their uterus was not removed, it could cause cancer. The IMA Chhattisgarh state unit has warned of a stir if the government doesn't declare the report of the probe and revokes the suspension of licences of doctors by August 8. Hamdani and Sahay said they will meet chief minister Raman Singh, health minister Amar Agrawal and officials of the health department to resolve the issue.

Police have arrested more than 1,900 people suspected of making and selling fake medicine ina series of raids on underground production bases, the Ministry of Public Security said onSunday. The nationwide operation, which started on July 25 and involved 18,000 police officers in 31provincial-level regions, has crushed 24 networks manufacturing counterfeit medical productsworth 1.16 billion yuan ($182 million). Police seized 205 million tablets designed to look like brand-name products for treatinghypertension, diabetes, skin diseases and cancer, the ministry said. Some medicines contained sibutramine, a chemical used to treat obesity that was banned bythe State Food and Drug Administration in 2010 due to fears that it increases the risk ofcardiovascular problems. The suspects also put sedative and hallucinogenic chemicals into the tablets to deceiveconsumers into believing that the fake drugs had an effect. Police also found bottles of normal saline solution labeled as a rabies vaccine. The ministry said it has destroyed a large number of production sites and trade channels in thepast two years. However, the crime is "far from being rooted out, as such criminals have come up with newmethods", the ministry said in its online statement. The ministry also said it had found sham promotions of fake products on the Internet, televisionand magazines during the crackdown. A ministry spokesperson warned that people should purchase medicines in hospitals andpharmacies who are trusted vendors of genuine products, and advised against buyingmedicines that do not have approved names and numbers distributed by the SFDA. "The ministry welcomes reports on the manufacture and sale of fake drugs," read the ministrystatement. "We will reward informers 500 to 50,000 yuan if the report is found to be true. Weoffer ample rewards to those who play an important role in cracking large gangs committingsuch crimes." Li Zhongdong, a pharmacist at the Air Force General Hospital in Bei

Asian shares edged down in choppy trade on Monday, encouraged by a fresh report of a potential framework for the European Central Bank's new bond buying scheme, as well as hopes of a strong easing from the Federal Reserve. Central bank sources told Reuters on Friday that the ECB is considering setting yield band targets under the bond-buying program to shield its strategy from speculators, but the decision would not be made before its Sept. 6 policy meeting.

In his 30-plus years as a doctor, Bruce Tempest had never seen anything like it. A Navajo man having trouble breathing showed up at the emergency room of a small hospital in Gallup, N.M. Less than an hour later, he was dead. The man had been young, athletic and otherwise healthy. His fiancee had died days before, also from sudden breathing problems. "This is something different," Tempest, now 76, remembered thinking of the 1993 illnesses. "It just doesn't fit." Tempest contacted area doctors, looking for other cases. Then he asked

To help protect yourself and Medicare from fraud and identity theft you should report it. Whenever you get a payment notice from Medicare review it for errors. The notice shows what Medicare was billed for, what Medicare paid, and what (if anything) you owe. Make sure Medicare was not billed for health care services, medical supplies, or equipment you did not get. Before you contact your health care provider, Medicare, or the Inspector General's hotline, carefully review the facts, and have the following ready: The provider's name and any identifying number you may have. The service or item information you are questioning. The date the service or item was supposedly given or delivered. The payment amount approved and paid by Medicare. The date on your Medicare Summary Notice. Your name and Medicare number (as listed on your Medicare card). The reason you think Medicare should not have paid. Any other information you have showing why Medicare should not have paid.

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Experts sifting through data from the discredited 2004 South Korean human cloning study say it may have had one positive outcome: the creation of human embryonic stem cells in a whole new way. The scientists who defrauded the world into thinking they had created the world's first human embryonic stem cells via cloning actually did achieve something, new research shows, just not what they had claimed. The Seoul team created the first-ever human embryonic stem cells from a process known as parthenogenesis, a process that creates an embryo by "tricking" the egg into thinking it has been fertilized. "For years, scientists have been seeking a method for making patient-specific embryonic stem cells. We've been trying to do that with nuclear transfer [cloning] and that hadn't worked," said study senior author Dr. George Q. Daley, associate director of the Stem Cell Program at Children's Hospital Boston. "Now we've found that if you're a young woman, you can make embryonic stem cells from your eggs. This gets us to making a customized, patient-specific stem cell without having to go through nuclear transfer," he said. "It represents a very important advance." "These cells are important potentially for making stem cells that aren't going to have a problem with the immune system of the host. It's another route," added Paul R. Sanberg, distinguished professor of neurosurgery and director of the University of South Florida Center for Aging and Brain Repair, in Tampa. "The stem cell field continues to move forward in spite of controversy. As we go forward, we will get more answers and theories as far as stem cells work and the best ways to make them." In 2004, Dr. Hwang Woo-Suk of Seoul National University published a paper in Science purporting to have created embryonic stem cells using somatic cell nuclear transfer, or cloning. Amid a worldwide flurry of accusations and finger-pointing, the journal retracted the pap

Over the years, Medicare has been proactive in its efforts to bring awareness to Medicare fraud, a national problem that costs the program millions of dollars each year. The Medicare program relies heavily on a number of sources to assist them in the detection and prevention of Medicare fraud including professionals of the healthcare industry. Overview of Medicare Fraud Medicare fraud generally refers to willfully and knowingly billing medical claims in an attempt to defraud the Medicare program for money. Anyone found guilty of Medicare fraud is subject to exclusion from participation in the Medicare program in addition to fines and possibly imprisonment. Most Medicare fraud occurs in these areas: Billing for DME Billing for physicians services Billing for institutional services such as nursing homes, hospitals, hospice, etc. Be Aware of Common Schemes There are four popular Medicare fraud schemes. 1. Medical Equipment Never Provided The most common area of Medicare fraud is billing for Durable Medical Equipment (DME). DME refers to any medical equipment necessary for a patient's medical or physical condition. It includes wheelchairs, hospital beds, and other equipment of that nature. The provider will bill Medicare for equipment that the patient never received. Mobility scooters have been particularly popular for Medicare fraud schemes.

EOUL - South Korean police said Tuesday they were investigating 27 North Korean refugees for swindling private insurance firms out of hundreds of thousands of dollars in bogus medical claims. Police said the refugees faked illness in collusion with hospitals to claim a total of 1.04 billion won ($909,000) from insurance firms between 2007 and 2010. While listed as hospitalised, they frequented saunas, restaurants and even nightclubs. The scam also involved a 71-year-old doctor and five hospital employees who conspired with the refugees to claim a separate 104 million won from the state health insurance agency, police said. Police are also investigating two brokers on suspicion of helping the refugees send some of the proceeds to relatives in the North. Fraudsters involved in medical insurance rackets have previously made use of North Koreans. In 2008, police charged 41 refugees involved in bogus medical claims. More than 23,500 North Koreans have settled in the South since the 1950-53 war. TShey get government financial help along with job education but many fail to adapt to their new environment.

Over the years, Medicare has been proactive in its efforts to bring awareness to Medicare fraud, a national problem that costs the program millions of dollars each year. The Medicare program relies heavily on a number of sources to assist them in the detection and prevention of Medicare fraud including professionals of the healthcare industry. Overview of Medicare Fraud Medicare fraud generally refers to willfully and knowingly billing medical claims in an attempt to defraud the Medicare program for money. Anyone found guilty of Medicare fraud is subject to exclusion from participation in the Medicare program in addition to fines and possibly imprisonment. Most Medicare fraud occurs in these areas: Billing for DME Billing for physicians services Billing for institutional services such as nursing homes, hospitals, hospice, etc. Be Aware of Common Schemes There are four popular Medicare fraud schemes. 1. Medical Equipment Never Provided The most common area of Medicare fraud is billing for Durable Medical Equipment (DME). DME refers to any medical equipment necessary for a patient's medical or physical condition. It includes wheelchairs, hospital beds, and other equipment of that nature. The provider will bill Medicare for equipment that the patient never received. Mobility scooters have been particularly popular for Medicare fraud schemes.