David Brust, Class of 2022, Belmont Law
Eighteen former National Basketball Association (“NBA”) players have been charged with conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud for making false claims to the NBA’s health and welfare benefit plan. The NBA’s health and welfare benefit plan provides players with health coverage after their careers end. The indictment claims that the eighteen former players collectively submitted false claims to get reimbursed for medical and dental care that they never received. Overall, these players allegedly filed over $3.9 million in false claims from 2017 to 2020. The individual claims ranged from $65,000 to $420,000. The players, who collectively earned over $343 million during their NBA careers, face up to twenty years in prison if convicted.
This scheme is not the first among former professional athletes. As of September of 2021, fifteen ex-NFL players have pleaded guilty to participating in a health care fraud scheme. These players filed false claims with the Gene Upshaw NFL Player Health Reimbursement Account Plan, which gives tax-free reimbursements of up to $350,000 to former players for health expenses that are not covered by insurance. In this case, the former players mainly filed claims for reimbursement for medical equipment they never received. For example, former All-Pro running back Clinton Portis received over $99,264 in two months for false claims and Robert McCune received around $2.9 million. Portis, who faces up to ten years in prison, is set to be sentenced in January 2022, while McCune, who faces up to twenty years in prison, is set to be sentenced on November 19, 2021.
Overall, these cases show that the DOJ is actively pursuing those who commit health care fraud. Anyone can commit health care fraud, not just doctors, nurses, and providers. In 2020 alone there was 1,148 criminal health care fraud investigations that resulted in 412 cases. Furthermore in 2020 alone the Department of Justice recouped $1.8 billion that was lost due to healthcare fraud. Clearly, the DOJ is cracking down on those who commit health care fraud, even if it is not against Medicare or Medicaid.
Works Cited:
https://www.npr.org/2021/10/07/1044052168/nba-former-players-charged-health-care-fraud
https://www.policymed.com/2021/09/hhs-oig-and-doj-release-annual-report.html