Fred Schulte appears in the following:
Nearly $50,000 a week for a cancer drug? A man worries about bankrupting his family
Tuesday, February 14, 2023
Medicare suddenly stopped paying for the pricey drug that prolongs his life. As he waits for an appeal, this retired physician wonders if he should give up treatment to spare his family the cost.
How Medicare Advantage plans dodged auditors and overcharged taxpayers by millions
Monday, December 12, 2022
A KHN investigation found when some Medicare Advantage plans got a rare federal audit, they couldn't produce billing records for care they said they'd provided. Some blamed fire, flood — or doctors.
Hidden audits reveal millions in overcharges by Medicare Advantage plans
Monday, November 21, 2022
Taxpayers footed the bill for care that should have cost far less, according to records released under the Freedom of Information Act. The U.S. government may charge insurers $650 million as a result.
Medicare Advantage's cost to taxpayers has soared in recent years, research finds
Thursday, November 11, 2021
An alternative to original Medicare, the private plans are run mostly by major insurers. A recent analysis estimates Medicare overpaid these insurers by $106 billion from 2010 through 2019.
The DOJ Says A Data Mining Company Fabricated Medical Diagnoses To Make Money
Tuesday, September 14, 2021
In a civil suit filed this week, the Justice Department accuses a New York medical analytics company of helping a Medicare Advantage plan cheat taxpayers out of millions of dollars.
Humana Inc. Overcharged Medicare Nearly $200 Million, Federal Audit Finds
Tuesday, April 20, 2021
If the report by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General is sustained, Humana Inc. could face a record penalty for overcharges in a Medicare Advantage plan.
Whistleblower Alleges Fraud At A Large Medicare Advantage Plan In Seattle
Friday, October 18, 2019
As the Trump administration calls for expanding access to Medicare Advantage, a federal whistleblower lawsuit accuses a large Medicare Advantage plan of bilking Medicare out of $8 million.
Journalists File Lawsuit To Force Feds To Release Medicare Advantage Audits
Friday, September 27, 2019
A lawsuit filed by Kaiser Health News under the Freedom of Information Act could spur the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to release audits that document up to $650 million in overcharges.
Missouri Firm With Silicon Valley Ties Faces Medicare Billing Scrutiny
Tuesday, July 23, 2019
A federal audit and a whistleblower lawsuit allege that Medicare Advantage plans from the St. Louis-based Essence Group Holdings Corp. have significantly overcharged taxpayers.
Medicare Advantage Plans Overbill Taxpayers By Billions Annually, Records Show
Tuesday, July 16, 2019
The federal government wants to deploy several new tools for catching insurers that have overcharged Medicare $30 billion in the past three years alone. But the insurance industry is balking.
Why The Promise Of Electronic Health Records Has Gone Unfulfilled
Monday, March 18, 2019
The government used a 2009 financial stimulus package to move the country from paper medical charts to electronic records. Care was supposed to get better, safer and cheaper. It hasn't worked out.
How A Urine Test After Back Surgery Triggered A $17,850 Bill
Friday, February 16, 2018
A few months after surgery for a painful spinal disk, a woman's doctor asked her for a sample of urine during a follow-up visit. The routine request turned into a financial nightmare.
As Seniors Get Sicker, They're More Likely To Drop Medicare Advantage Plans
Wednesday, July 05, 2017
Medicare Advantage plans say they offer good value and aim to keep patients healthy, but sicker people are far more likely than others to drop out because of lack of access to specific doctors.
Medicare Advantage Insurers Settle Whistleblower Suit For $32 Million
Wednesday, May 31, 2017
A former medical director at two Florida insurance companies alleged the companies inflated fees by making patients appear sicker than they were or exaggerating the treatment that was provided.
Suits Accuse Insurance Companies of Making Millions by Profit-Gaming Medicare
Monday, May 22, 2017
A whistle-blower at UnitedHealth Group is claiming that big insurance companies have been using Medicare Advantage to profit-game the system in order to be paid more.
Justice Department Joins Second Lawsuit Against UnitedHealth
Tuesday, March 28, 2017
At issue are alleged overpayments from the government to the the insurer UnitedHealth Group, which runs popular Medicare Advantage plans.
Medicare Failed To Recover Up To $125 Million In Overpayments From Private Insurers
Friday, January 06, 2017
Audits show Medicare potentially overpaid five insurance plans by $128 million, yet the government recovered only $3 million. The finding adds to questions about oversight of Medicare Advantage plans.
Audits Of Some Medicare Advantage Plans Reveal Pervasive Overcharging
Monday, August 29, 2016
Federal audits of 37 Medicare Advantage health plans cited 35 for overbilling the government. Many plans, for example, claimed patients with depression or diabetes were sicker than they actually were.
Report: A Housing Scam Grows in Brooklyn
Tuesday, August 09, 2016
Groups which purport to be foreclosure-prevention or loan-modification firms are actually bilking customers out of tens of thousands of dollars.
GAO Audit: Feds Failed To Rein In Medicare Advantage Overbilling
Monday, May 09, 2016
Privately run Medicare Advantage plans have overcharged the federal government by billions of dollars, yet Medicare hasn't been effective in recouping the excessive payments, an audit found.
