Tag Archives: Medicare fraud

Fraud Makes A Difference

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On Monday, Townhall posted an article about the impact of fraud on the lifespan of Medicare.

The article reports:

America has a serious entitlement-spending problem, and the scale of Medicare fraud is making it worse. 

Over the weekend, Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, warned that Medicare’s trust fund is projected to become insolvent within the next six to seven years. But Oz argued that by eliminating fraud, waste, and abuse within the program, it could double the it’s lifespan, delivering twice as many years of benefits without asking taxpayers to pour even more money into the already broken system.

The article quotes Dr. Oz:

“I’ll just put it in the context of what you just gave me. The insolvency of the Medicare trust fund, which is gonna happen in six to seven years, it’ll last twice as long, think about that, twice as many years of benefits if we just take the fraud out of Medicare,” Dr. Oz said on CBS News’ Face the Nation. “Forget about everything else. Just this past year, we cut $42 billion of fraud from Medicare by never leaving the money out of the door. And those are the kinds of benefits. We’re seeing dramatic changes in durable medical equipment fraud by a nationwide moratorium. 42 billion, the federal government paid 1.2 trillion on Medicare benefits. That’s just the beginning. That was last year. We hadn’t even gotten to full speed.”

“But let me just point one reality out. This is important. The fraud doesn’t just steal money. It steals our trust. And we have states that are not working closely with us on these issues. And that’s because in some cases, what’s fraud to us, objectively, is actually a feature for the states,” he continued. “But you’re acknowledging that while important work is not sufficient to that massive financial problem. The even bigger benefit. More needs to be done.”

Eliminating the fraud is a wonderful idea. However, we also need to hold the people accountable who committed the fraud and also take measures to make sure the spending of taxpayer money is more carefully monitored. It’s hard to believe that those writing the checks didn’t see some questionable patterns in the payments being made.

Arresting The People Who Committed Fraud

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On Saturday, Legal Insurrection posted an article about the arrest of Herbert Leon Kimble, who after pleading guilty to fraud, didn’t bother to show up for his sentencing.

The article reports:

Just over two weeks after the FBI unveiled its new Most Wanted Fraudsters list, the administration has notched its second capture, and the message is getting through.

Herbert Leon Kimble, who pleaded guilty to orchestrating one of the largest Medicare fraud schemes ever prosecuted in the United States and then simply didn’t show up for sentencing, has been arrested in the Philippines and returned to face justice. The FBI had offered a reward of up to $150,000 for information leading to his arrest and conviction.

According to the FBI, Kimble’s scheme generated more than $1.2 billion in fraudulent Medicare charges and victimized thousands of beneficiaries, many of them elderly Americans who trusted the healthcare system. 

The arrest marks the second capture from the FBI’s Most Wanted Fraudsters list, which launched on June 4, 2026, and initially featured eight fugitives accused of major fraud offenses.

The list is a centerpiece of the administration’s broader effort to crack down on fraud, waste, and abuse, an effort that, so far, appears to be producing results. 

The article concludes:

Kimble’s arrest comes as the administration makes good on its promise to pursue fraud in federal programs with renewed seriousness. In March 2026, President Donald Trump established the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, chaired by Vice President Vance, to coordinate enforcement efforts across the federal government.

Earlier this month, Said Abdullahi Ereg surrendered to federal authorities in Minneapolis.

Ereg is accused of participating in the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme and allegedly received more than $4.2 million through fraudulent reimbursement claims tied to a federal child nutrition program.

Federal officials have made clear that more arrests are coming. Six of the eight fugitives on the Most Wanted Fraudsters list remain at large, but if the first two weeks are any indication, that number may not hold for long.

It is good to see people being held accountable for their actions.