Feds target Detroit area as Medicare fraud rises

The AP reports:

Federal prosecutors say they are expecting guilty pleas in a case involving a clinic in a Detroit suburb that is accused of paying patients for phony or unnecessary treatments.

Investigators say Livonia Wellness Services in Livonia recruited people and then received more than $500,000 in Medicare reimbursements in just six months. The clinic has been closed.

Assistant U.S. Attorney F. William Soisson (SOY'-sun) says three people have negotiated plea deals.

The FBI says Medicare has paid more than $10 million to Detroit-area clinics suspected of billing for services that weren't performed or weren't necessary.

Great moments in socialized medicine.