Upwards of 10% of all Medicare spending every year may be fraudulent, says the GAO. That's $50 billion dollars in wasted taxpayer money. The schemes to defraud Medicare are now being run by huge criminal operations who steal billions at a time. And one or more of those operations may originate in Cuba. Examiner: Two U.S. senators and a representative worry that billions of tax dollars could be going to Cuba and other foreign countries via criminal schemes designed to defraud Medicare and Medicaid. The schemes often involve the use of "nominees," individuals who are paid to be fronts for the actual owners of corporate entities being used in the fraudulent operation. By concealing the identities of true owners, the approach invites its use to funnel tax dollars out of the country. In a letter made public yesterday to Marilyn Tavenner, acting administrator of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid, senators Orrin Hatch, R-UT, and Tom Coburn, R-OK, were joined by Rep. Peter Roskam,...(Read Full Post)