More than 300 people across the nation have been charged with stealing more than $900 million in what federal investigators say is the "largest Medicare fraud takedown in history." The people facing criminal and civil charges of health care fraud include 61 doctors, nurses and other medical professionals. "The wrongdoers that we pursue in these operations seek to use public funds for private enrichment," Lynch said. "They target real people - many of them in need of significant medical care."   read more

Corinthian Colleges, once one of the nation’s largest for-profit education companies, engaged in apparently unlawful practices by paying its recruiters based on how many sales leads they converted into actual students, according to documents unsealed last week. The disclosure may make it easier for former students of the defunct institution to have their federal loans forgiven by helping them establish that they were defrauded or that Corinthian violated federal law while it was operating.   read more

Alternative treatments for pain may include chiropractic and osteopathic manipulation, meditation, massage, yoga, acupuncture and cognitive behavioral therapy, which helps people cope with pain by changing how they think about it. Insurance plans may not cover all of these treatments, or impose strict limits on them. Many state Medicaid programs have only begun to grapple with whether to cover nondrug treatments for pain, or how extensively to do it.   read more

Together, the popularity of the assault rifles and small handguns highlight how the industry has changed in recent decades, as people have increasingly turned to guns for self-defense and less for hunting. Manufacturers have acknowledged the central role that assault rifles and concealed handguns play in their financial health. They also often point out that sales frequently rise after mass shootings like the recent attacks in Paris, San Bernardino, California, and Orlando.   read more

The researchers found that after 1972, when much of the truth behind Tuskegee was revealed, mistrust among African-Americans toward the medical profession spiked. They found that use of the health care system fell, and that mortality increased years later. They hypothesized that each factor led to the next: The news caused African-Americans to doubt the health care profession was interested in their well-being, they stopped going to the doctor, and this led to earlier deaths.   read more

Physicians who received meals related to Crestor on four or more days prescribed the drug at almost twice the rate of doctors who received no meals. The difference was even more marked for the other drugs. Physicians who received meals prescribed Bystolic at more than 5 times the rate of their uncompensated peers, and Benicar at a rate 4.5 times higher. Steinbrook wrote, "Outright gifts, such as meals, may be legal, but why should physicians either expect or accept them?”   read more

To comply with the ruling and obtain a license, Ms. Granatelli would have to spend about $250,000 over four years at an accredited school. Over the years, states across the country have added licensing requirements for a bewildering variety of jobs, requiring months or years of expensive education, along with assessing costly fees. Today, nearly 30% of the American work force needs a license to work, up from about 10% in the 1970s, according to Professor Kleiner, who has studied the issue.   read more

The justices sided with Kingdomware Technologies Inc., a veteran-owned contractor based in Maryland that said it should have been considered to provide services for a VA medical center. The case is important to veterans groups that claimed the VA was wrongly interpreting bidding requirements in a way that deprived thousands of small companies owned by veterans. Those companies want a slice of the billions of dollars in contracts the VA awards every year.   read more

Since New York attorney general Schneiderman announced the first investigation of Exxon Mobil over its past research statements about climate change, nearly 20 other state attorneys general have voiced their support. But Exxon has been pushing back, fighting subpoenas and winning the support of lawmakers and friendly state attorneys. Schneiderman called the pushback from the company and its supporters “First Amendment opportunism.”   read more

Congress adopted the law amid frustration by lawmakers of both parties, who said the VA was too slow to fire employees for wrongdoing. Lawmakers were incensed that veterans on secret waiting lists faced scheduling delays of up to a year. As many as 40 veterans died while awaiting care at the Phoenix VA hospital. "Everyone knows VA isn't very good at disciplining employees, but this decision calls into question whether department leaders are even interested in doing so," said Rep. Jeff Miller.   read more

All seniors would get better protection from extremely high costs, but some may have to spend more. It would raise costs by about $1,000 for some beneficiaries who land in the widely loathed coverage gap known as the "doughnut hole." And MedPAC also proposed restructuring modest copayments that low-income beneficiaries may face, in order to encourage greater use of generic and preferred brand name drugs. Insurance companies aren't likely to be pleased.   read more

"As bad as people think the problem of opioid use is, it's probably worse," said Wayne Ray, the report's lead author. "They should be a last resort and particular care should be exercised for patients who are at cardiovascular risk." The drugs can slow breathing and can worsen disrupted breathing that occurs with sleep apnea, potentially leading to irregular heartbeats, heart attacks or sudden death. In 2014, there were more than 14,000 fatal overdoses linked with the painkillers in the U.S.   read more

"I have read these pages and can say that while their release will not harm national security, the contents are critical to our foreign policy moving forward," said Rep. Walter Jones. "That is why I have introduced a resolution that would enable the House Committee on Intelligence to declassify the 28 pages. ... It is more critical than ever for the American people to know what led to the tragic attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, and I urge my colleagues...to release the pages."   read more

The scientists within the VA agreed the airmen had a strong case. But they had a more calculated concern: If the VA doled out cash to these veterans, others might want it too. “This shows what we’ve already suspected: At the VA, they’re more interested in politics, and protecting their turf and their bonuses than fulfilling their mission to assist veterans,” said John Wells, a lawyer who has spent more than a decade advocating for 90,000 Navy vets fighting for Agent Orange benefits.   read more

To provide Valvani with valuable information, Johnston went as far as to arrange teleconferences between FDA officials and generic drug manufacturers in order to discuss issues that directly concerned his hedge fund client. Valvani was thus able to reap the nearly $32 million in illicit gains based on information about coming FDA approvals for a drug that helps prevent blood clots. Prosecutors have accused Valvani of passing on the tips to a former colleague who used them for illegal gains.   read more

He said his body had shaken when he stood for hours, naked and shackled in a cold room and unable to shift his weight to an injured leg. He spoke of his humiliation at having to relieve himself in a bucket in front of other people, “like an animal.” And he described being waterboarded until he stopped breathing and required resuscitation. “They shackle me completely, even my head; I can’t do anything,” Zubaydah said. “...They put one cloth in my mouth and they put water, water, water...”   read more