Good News: DOJ's Whistle-Blower Recruitment Pays Off

[Toucano]

The Justice Department says it has recovered a record $2.5 billion in health care fraud over the past year — mostly with the help of drug company employees who blow the whistle to the federal government.

The big-ticket settlements mostly came from Pfizer, AstraZenica and Novartis, pharmaceutical companies accused of questionable marketing practices or overbilling federal insurance programs.

"This administration has made health care fraud a priority," said Tony West, assistant attorney general for the department's civil division. "When you look at health care fraud and the recoveries that we've been able to obtain over the last two years, it's been about $4.6 billion. That's more money recovered in a two-year period than at any other time in history."

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"We probably cannot hit these companies up hard enough financially for them to change the economics of fraud," Burns said. "But what we can do is start putting key executives in jail or making sure they can never work again."

http://www.npr.org/2010/11/22/131522125/doj-s-whistle-blower-recruitment-pays-off

It's their employees turning them in! I absolutely love that.

[Frustratedlady]

1. Great. I'll bet you won't hear it on the news, though.

All they are talking about is TSA/TA, Palin and how bad Obama is.

I've started sending some of this stuff to my friends and highlighting the accomplishments. So many of them are furious about the banks and healthcare providers/pharmas getting by with their fraud. They are cheering that something is actually being done, and have commented they never heard about what I posted.

Maybe we should be our own news channel?

[Toucano]

2. There's an idea!

But in fairness, this was on "Morning Edition", so I guess it depends on where you get your news.

[Toucano]

3. gratuitous kick.