Punishing Health Care Fraudsters Act

Key Points

• Raises the maximum prison time for federal health care fraud from 10 years to 25 years, and from 20 years to 30 years in more serious cases.
• Increases criminal fines tied to fraud involving federal health programs, including raising a $100,000 fine level to $250,000 in several places.
• Boosts other penalties in the same federal health program fraud law, including raising a $20,000 penalty to $100,000 and increasing some lower penalties up to $100,000.
• Directs the U.S. Sentencing Commission to review and update sentencing guidelines so punishments better match the harm, planning, privacy violations, and public safety risks.
• The higher penalties would apply only to fraud acts (and certain false statements) that happen on or after the law takes effect.