Collectively, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Justice work to reduce health care fraud and investigate dishonest service providers and suppliers. The Healthcare Prevention and Enforcement Action Team has recovered nearly $3 billion in fraud this year alone. There are also aggressive strategies to eliminate Medicare prescription fraud. Patients who abuse or sell painkillers received by visiting multiple doctors and getting multiple prescriptions cost Medicare millions each year. Fraud affects everyone, its prevention requires diligent collaboration between government officials and citizens. Medicare Insurance Fraud Protection Medicare offers health care coverage to people over 65, in addition to others who meet certain criteria. The government funds Medicare through the federal Medicare and Medicaid Centers and spends billions each year on the program. Fraud is rampant throughout the health care program due to the enormous amount of money spent and the large number of people enrolled in the program. Fighting fraud of this nature requires everyone’s diligence. Protecting yourself involves understanding what constitutes fraud, identifying it, noting suspicious practices and taking preventative measures. FraudMedicare fraud occurs when health care providers, suppliers, and private companies bill for services or supplies that patients never receive. Additionally, abuses of the Medicare program also occur because doctors and providers do not always follow best medical practices, resulting in excessive costs due to inappropriate payments or medically unnecessary services, both of which abuse the program. Conservative estimates suggest that it... middle of paper ...... icare patients. Help stop healthcare fraud by identifying it, reporting it, and stopping it from happening. Works Cited About fraud. (nd). Retrieved from Stop Medicare Fraud The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Department of Justice: http://www.stopmedicarefraud.gov/aboutfraud/index.html Baum, Hedlund, Aristei & Goldman, PC ( November 2010). How Medicare and Medicaid Fraud Affects You. Retrieved December 10, 2011 from Whistleblower Claims Qui Tam Litigation: http://whistleblower-claims.com/government-healthcare-fraud.phpDepartment of Health and Human Services. (October 1, 2011). Protecting Medicare and yourself from fraud. Retrieved December 10, 2011, from Medicare.gov. Official US government website for Medicare: https://www.medicare.gov/Library/PDFNavigation/PDFInterim.asp?Language=English&Type=Pub&PubID.=10111