National Report Medicare Fraud Day is a day that falls on September 12th and highlights the problem of Medicare fraud. According to recent statistics, about one dollar out of every ten in Medicare funds is lost due to fraudulent activity. To put it in real dollars, that means the government loses about $65 billion due to fraud every single year.

This holiday doesn’t just highlight that problem, however. It also encourages people to report Medicare fraud wherever they see it. And because the Department of Justice has a reward program, people can earn a reward of up to 25% of what they recover.

The History of National Report Medicare Fraud Day

This holiday was invented in 2017 by the Hesch Firm LLC. This firm is headed by Joel D. Hesch—a man who spent nearly 20 years working in the whistleblower reward office for the Department of Justice. He and his firm now represent whistleblowers nationwide in reporting fraud and collecting their rewards.

Important Facts About Medicare

Americans probably don’t know as much about Medicare as they should. That’s why we’ve decided to list a few bullet points about it below. Although we can’t go into comprehensive detail about this government-run health care service, we can go over a few points that will highlight its importance in the American health care system.

• Employee and employer contributions provide the funds for Medicare.
• 1.45% of an employee’s pay is paid by the employer, and another 1.45% of the employee’s pay is paid by the employee.
• Self-employed workers pay 2.9% of their income to the program.
• Medicare is the federal health insurance program for people 65 years and older.

Observing National Report Medicare Fraud Day

The government offers a free e-book and a website that give everyone instructions on how to report Medicare fraud. These two resources provide all the information needed to report Medicare fraud if it is observed. People can also spread the word about this holiday using the hashtag #ReportMedicareFraudDay on their social media accounts.