Feds Raise Healthcare Penalties Again

If you’re a healthcare provider who takes Medicare or another federal program, take note.

We didn’t get a government shutdown, but the budget law from last week more than doubled the civil and criminal penalties you face when the government accuses you of fraud, waste, or abuse. To see for yourself, click the link and scroll all the way down to section 50412. You need to go about three-fifths of the way down.

The maximum civil penalties have doubled and, in some cases, more than doubled. Where they used to be $2,000 per violation, they’re now $5,000; where $5,000 before, they’re now $10,000; if $10,000, they’re now $20,000; if $15,000, now $30,000; and where they were $50,000 before, they’re now $100,000. Generally, the penalties apply per violation.

The maximum criminal penalties have doubled or quadrupled. A felony charge that used to threaten five years in prison and a $25,000 fine now carries up to ten years in prison and a $100,000 fine. A misdemeanor charge that carried a $2,000 or $10,000 fine could now cost $4,000 or $20,000 respectively in fines alone.

These changes apply to conduct after the law was enacted on February 9, 2018.