Healthcare Fraud Lawyer Blog
Every day we hear shocking news about the opioid epidemic, from the number of deaths from overdoses to the sheer amount of distribution arrests to the amount of money government is spending to combat the problem. One of the areas that the public may not know about, however, is how much of the problem is being created by dishonest health care professionals across the country through fraud and illegal practices.
The Opioid Epidemic
We are bombarded with statistics about the enormity of scope of opioid use in our country. For example, in FY2016, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated that 42,249 Americans died from opioid overdose in our country. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health and Services Administration (SAMSHA) estimates that 11.8 million Americans over the age of 12 have abused prescription opioids and heroin in the last year. The federal Department of Health and Human Services announced in September of this year that they have awarded over $1 billion in grants to “help combat the crisis ravaging our country.” Obviously, the problem is incredibly dangerous, incredibly real, and at the forefront of discussion in the US. What is not as obvious is what role healthcare fraud plays in fueling this problem.
