455 People Were Charged in the Largest Medicare and Medicaid Fraud Sweep on Record, Citing More Than 6.5 Billion Dollars in Alleged False Claims

The Department of Justice and the HHS Office of Inspector General announced on June 23, 2026, the results of the 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown, charging 455 defendants, including 90 doctors and other licensed professionals, with alleged health care fraud and opioid abuse. The operation involved more than 6.5 billion dollars in alleged false and fraudulent claims submitted to federal health programs.

The action covered 56 federal judicial districts across 45 states and territories. All 50 state Medicaid Fraud Control Units participated, along with federal, state, and international partners. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche described it as the greatest whole-of-government effort to combat health care fraud in the nation's history.

Alleged conduct included fraudulent billing for services not provided, kickback arrangements, telemedicine-related misconduct, unlawful prescriptions, and exploitation of Medicare and Medicaid billing systems. Some cases involved allegations of direct patient harm.

The OIG highlighted hospice fraud as a category of particular concern. Some operators were alleged to have billed Medicare for patients who were not terminally ill and who were recruited with cash payments.

All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. For people on Medicare, fraud enforcement matters because unchecked fraud can raise program costs and divert resources from legitimate care.