COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) – On Wednesday, US Attorney Adair Boroughs announced the formation of the Palmetto Health Care Fraud Task Force (PHCF Task Force), created to combat health care fraud and recover taxpayer money in the District of South Carolina through criminal and civil actions. The PHCF Task Force will include investigators from the Department of Labor and the South Carolina Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.
In February 2023, the FBI, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina, and other federal, state, and local agency partners began meeting as part of a Health Care Fraud Working Group to combat health care fraud in the District of South Carolina.
The creation of the PHCF Task Force demonstrates an increased effort to bring to justice those who defraud the healthcare system, to deter future healthcare fraud and abuse, and to promote trust in the healthcare system.
Healthcare fraud is an enormous burden on South Carolina taxpayers. In 2023, taxpayer-funded healthcare programs spent approximately $23 billion in South Carolina alone. Although it is difficult to approximate the amount of money lost to waste, fraud, and abuse each year, the Government Accountability Office estimates it could be as much as 10% of money spent.
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office announces formation of Multi-Agency Health Care Fraud Task Force / WIS TV