Feds allege $900 million in fake medical bills, kickbacks and other health care fraud

The Justice Department announced Wednesday it had charged a record 301 people with schemes that defrauded government health programs by submitting $900 million in fraudulent health claims.

The announcement of the charges, called the largest takedown for Medicare and Medicaid fraud in history, was the result of a nationwide sweep that exposed alleged kickbacks, embezzlement and fake claims to the government programs that provide health care for the elderly and the poor. The allegations involved various kinds of fraud in diverse areas of health care, ranging from prescription drugs to home health care to physical therapy.