Searching for smart, safe news you can TRUST?
Support safe, smart, REAL journalism. Sign up for our Axios AM & PM newsletters and get smarter, faster.
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Denver news in your inbox
Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Denver
Des Moines news in your inbox
Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Des Moines
Minneapolis-St. Paul news in your inbox
Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Twin Cities
Tampa Bay news in your inbox
Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Tampa Bay
Charlotte news in your inbox
Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Charlotte
Jacquelyn Martin / AP
The Justice Department said Thursday it has charged 412 people, including 112 doctors and other medical professionals, for submitting fraudulent claims to the Medicare, Medicaid and Tricare programs — the largest federal health care fraud takedown.
What happened: Those people submitted $1.3 billion worth of fraudulent medical claims. More than a quarter of the defendants are charged with opioid-related crimes, including physicians who prescribed unnecessary painkillers and drug center officials who illegally lured people. The opioid epidemic continues to ravage the country, and drug overdoses are the leading cause of death among Americans younger than 50.