A Whitefish doctor was sentenced to six months of jail and another six months of house arrest for defrauding Medicare and other federal health programs.
Ronald Dean was found guilty in U.S. District Court of participating in a national scheme that fraudulently billed programs more than $2.75 billion.
A telemedicine company paid Dean to bill for medical equipment like wrist braces and COVID tests that patients didn’t need. He never saw many of the patients he billed for. That’s according to federal prosecutors.
They say Dean filed over $13 million worth of claims as part of the scheme. Dean is required to pay over $780,000 in restitution for money he received from the company in the case.
Federal prosecutors charged 193 people across the country in the scheme and seized luxury cars, gold and $231 million in cash as part of the case.
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Medicare open enrollment has begun, and Montana medical providers want seniors to understand the tradeoffs that come with Medicare Advantage plans run by private insurance companies. -
The open enrollment period for Medicare starts Oct. 15. People can change both their medical and drug coverage until Dec. 7. -
As Montana’s population ages, providers serving low-income seniors say more people aren’t getting the care they need as they wait to get on Medicaid. Montana lawmakers are considering creating a shortcut to that care.
