In a significant crackdown on healthcare fraud, the Ohio Attorney General’s Office has indicted nine Medicaid providers on charges of siphoning a total of $1.2 million from the program meant to assist the needy. According to an announcement from Attorney General Dave Yost’s office, among the accused are eight home-health aides and one mental-health specialist, each facing felony charges for allegedly billing for services that were never delivered.
The offenses highlighted in the indictments include billing for at-home care while patients were either hospitalized or incarcerated. The Ohio Attorney General’s report underscores the gravity of the fraud by detailing instances such as Achana Brown’s alleged $4,735 in false billings when patients were not in their homes, and Desiree Reid’s supposed care for a relative when she was actually out of state, costing Medicaid $366,950.
The theft is not only a legal concern but also a breach of society’s trust. “Medicaid fraud is both a crime and a moral offense,” Yost stated through the Ohio Attorney General’s Office. “It steals from the vulnerable and undermines our values as a society.” The Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, an integral part of Yost’s office, worked diligently to investigate these cases and secure the indictments in Franklin County Common Pleas Court…