Fraud Strikes Again: MN Medicaid Scam Worth $1 Million

The jig is up, again.

According to the Star Tribune, three individuals have been charged with allegedly scheming to defraud Medicaid by preying on behavioral health patients.

Two drivers and an interpreter serving low-income patients seeking mental health services allegedly conspired with the owner of a Northfield clinic to defraud the federal-state Medical Assistance program out of $1 million through false claims over more than three years, according to a federal grand jury indictment unsealed this week.

Authorities say the scam artists used transportation and interpretation services provided at the Center for Human Resources in Northfield to abuse the system from November 2012 to February 2016. 

According to the indictment, [Isnino A.] Mohamud and [Mowllid A.] Nur, both Rochester residents working for specialized transportation companies, and [Ayan M.] Barsug, of Burnsville, reported false information that led to a fraudulent bill submitted to UCare, a nonprofit health system that contracts with the state.

The center’s director [who hasn’t been charged], a psychologist, also “routinely submitted” false claims to UCare, claiming multiple counseling sessions on a given day for patients who were actually treated as a group, according to charges.

UCare covers mental health services and “ancillary services” like transportation to and from appointments and any interpretation required.

Health care abuse doesn’t just cheat the system. It cheats taxpayers. And fraud-fighting efforts are as lax as Medicaid’s oversight.

Until there are some major changes to the scam-ridden system, stay tuned for more cases of stolen public benefits.