Medicare Advantage plans almost always add new patient diagnoses. Photo: Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
A new federal audit presents more evidence that private Medicare Advantage plans are fudging the data about how sick their customers are, as a way to pull in more taxpayer dollars.
Details: Medicare Advantage plans received $6.7 billion in federal funding in 2017 based on diagnoses — like cancer or heart disease — that were not reflected in the actual care patients received, according to the report from the Office of Inspector General.