US health fraud involving Filipinos hurts RP’s image - Palace

MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang on Friday said it was saddened that the $100-million US military health insurance scam that involved Philippine health care providers has sullied the good reputation and international achievements of many Filipinos. Reports said the US military’s health insurance program has been swindled out of more than $100 million over the past decade in the Philippines, where doctors, hospitals and clinics have conspired with American veterans to submit bogus claims. Tricare, a Pentagon-run program that insures 9.2 million current and former US service members and dependents worldwide including those who have settled in the Philippines, paid $210.9 million in overseas claims in 2006. At the height of the fraud in 2003, reportedly two-thirds of the $61.8 million paid to Philippine providers – about $40 million – was fraudulent. Similar schemes of bloated claims have reportedly started appearing in Latin America. Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said that the fraud happened outside the Philippines and that violators will have to be prosecuted by US laws. “We have nothing to do with that, but we want to express our sadness on this," Bunye said. He said such illegal activities involving Filipinos would overshadow the good traits that Filipinos are famous for. - GMANews.TV