What Happens if I Let Someone Else Use My Health Insurance?

 Posted on September 13, 2024 in Fraud

A lot of people in Texas are without health insurance. Not all employers are required to offer it, and getting insured on your own can be prohibitively expensive. Some people are caught in the middle, where they cannot afford insurance but do not qualify for Medicaid. If you are fortunate enough to have health insurance, it may occur to you to let someone you care about who is uninsured use your information and identity to get healthcare. While wanting to help others access healthcare is commendable, going about it the wrong way could be prosecuted as federal healthcare or insurance fraud. A Dallas, TX white-collar crimes attorney can help you if you have been accused of healthcare fraud, or related crimes.

Letting Someone Else Use Your Health Insurance is a Federal Crime 

Your friend or family member needs medical care but has no insurance. You have good health insurance. You look enough alike that if no one scrutinizes the picture on your ID too closely, your loved one could probably get away with using it. So, you hand over your ID and health insurance card and send your loved one off to the doctor’s office.

The scheme initially seems to be working. Your loved one is getting the treatment he or she needs, and no one has tried too hard to verify his or her identity. Then, inevitably, something goes wrong. Your loved one accidentally gives a receptionist his or her own ID or fails to respond to your name and invites suspicion.

If a doctor finds out that someone is fraudulently claiming to be you so that your insurance will pay for his or her care and does nothing, the doctor could open him or herself up to prosecution for healthcare fraud. The doctor reports you and your loved one to the FBI. You are now under federal investigation.

While you may legitimately have had good intentions, wanting only to help a person in need, you could be prosecuted at the federal level for healthcare fraud, insurance fraud, or fraud related to sharing your identity. The penalties in federal fraud cases can be harsh. You could face more than a year in prison if you are convicted, although sentencing this harsh may not be warranted. You need an experienced federal fraud lawyer to represent you and fight to minimize the impact this case will have on your life.

Contact a Dallas County, TX Federal Insurance Fraud Lawyer

Spencer & Associates is experienced in representing people accused of insurance fraud. Dedicated Dallas, TX federal fraud attorney Arnold Spencer has successfully handled high-profile white-collar crime cases. Contact us at 214-385-8500 for a complimentary consultation.