Qui Tam

Health Care Fraud and the Global Business Forum 2011 in Miami

By Brian F. LaBovick, Esq.

I hope you all had a fun but safe holiday season. December is a great month. It's that time of the year when I dust off my It's A Wonderful Life DVD and get back in the mind set that we, as a society, are here to work with each other and make our community better. Then, of course, January comes in and I'm back at work and knee deep in the problems of American life.

Today I'm at The Global Business Forum 2011 being held in Miami. It's a national medical conference held at my school (Its all about the "U" baby!) discussing important aspects of health care in America. I enjoyed meeting Donna Shalala who is the President of the University of Miami and is also the former United States Secretary of Health and Human Services. She was amazing well versed on the state of financial developments within the medical community.

The key Panel Discussion piquing my interest is titled Health Care Fraud's Ground Zero: South Florida! This is of course both sad for those of us that live in South Florida. The corporations that put corporate greed first and willfully commit fraud against the government and taxpayers deserve to be punished and fined for wrongdoings. 

Currently, health care is represents only 15% of our Gross Domestic Product. With the new Obama Health Care System in place that percentage is going to sky rocket! Whether you love or hate the new Health Care Laws, as a political fact (and I am not fond of letting the government do anything other than National Defense), I do not believe the Congress has the strength to overturn the system.

In the next 15 years health care costs and services are going to grow to become 20-25% of our entire GDP! That means the baby boomers turning 65 (when they get the right to Medicare) will drive the Fraud Boomers into a feeding frenzy.

Truth be told: I love Its A Wonderful Life. I would give up the entire Qui Tam practice if the fraud would go away. There are so many great and honest people in the World but the bad guys get so much press it seems they are not the exception but the rule. One wish for the next 10 years is that the courageous whistleblowing heroes are not vilified in the press after reporting the fraud against their employer.

Full post as published by Whistleblower Law Blog on January 13, 2011 (boomark / email).