Getting a Lawyer to Defend Health Care Fraud
Any attempt to defraud the government is a serious offense. It becomes even more serious if it involves attempts to defraud the health care system. Whether it is a medical service provider or a consumer, facing health care fraud charges can be a tough time. What you need to do is find a criminal defense lawyer immediately.
Any misrepresentation in the filing for health care benefits may be interpreted as a criminal activity. Without active and timely defense, it is very difficult to handle such situations and avoid conviction. Which circumstances may lead to such criminal charges? Here is a look at a few examples.
- Billing services that were not provided/filing claims for services you did not avail
- Misrepresenting procedures to get coverage for non-covered medical treatments
- Falsifying reports or bills to claim more from insurance carrier
- Providing medical records of patients to third parties
Why would you need active defense? The penalties for health fraud are serious. It may include 10 years imprisonment and/or hefty fines. If the fraudulent activity results in bodily harm to anyone, the period of imprisonment may go up to 20 years. You may face life imprisonment if the fraud results in the death of another.
Getting a criminal lawyer from the very first stage is imperative for proper handling of the matter. Health fraud defense requires thorough investigation of the facts and analysis of the applicable laws. Only a lawyer competent in this field would be able to find the right strategies for defense.
Plea bargaining may also work in your case. However, this is only a possibility if the prosecution offers this. In this, the prosecution files lesser charges, or gives you some other benefit, in lieu of which you plead guilty. This saves time and effort, and may be a good choice if it is difficult for you to use any other defense.
Certain affirmative defenses work well for this white-collar crime. One such is entrapment – when the inducement of a government agent/agency is the chief reason for your committing the crime, and you would not have committed the crime if this inducement were not there.
Only a good criminal attorney would be able to take care of the responsibilities. Whether it is helping you to understand the terms of the plea bargain or accumulating and presenting evidence at trial, knowledge and experience are imperative for handling the defense of a criminal case.
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