ABC NewsMail - Afternoon Edition

NewsMail Afternoon Edition Thu 06 Mar, 2014 Top Stories More Top Stories » Fraudsters costing Medicare hundreds of thousands of dollars By medical reporter Sophie Scott and Alison Branley New figures show Medicare is being defrauded of hundreds of thousands of dollars each year, with most of the frauds coming from outside the doctor's office. Since July last year a Government hotline has received 1,116 Medicare-related tip-offs, which have translated into 275 investigations and 12 convictions. Ten of the 12 prosecutions were members of the public. One involved a medical practice staff member and one a practice owner. The value of those 12 cases adds up to an estimated $474,000, with fraudsters ripping off an average of almost $40,000 each. The Government says the number of frauds are low compared to the 344 million annual Medicare transactions, but some are calling for more action to combat the crimes. 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More » Brooks denies phone-hacking cover-up Venezuela marks year without Chavez amid protests WHO recommends halving daily sugar intake North Korean military defends missile tests 'No-one has done more' than church to tackle sex abuse: Pope Business More Business » Tax expert explains how Apple pays 193m tax on 9b revenue By Will Ockenden An Australian investigation shows how Apple paid only $193 million tax on $27 billion in local sales. More » NSW gives Cootes two weeks to show why it should stay on the roads NSW leads post-Christmas splurge as retail sales surge Australia posts biggest trade surplus in two-and-a-half years Bill to lift Qantas ownership restrictions passes Lower House Hockey denies putting pressure on Qantas over its carbon tax statements Politics More Politics » Fraudsters costing Medicare hundreds of thousands of dollars By medical reporter Sophie Scott and Alison Branley New figures show Medicare is being defrauded of hundreds of thousands of dollars each year, with most of the frauds coming from outside the doctor's office. Since July last year a Government hotline has received 1,116 Medicare-related tip-offs, which have translated into 275 investigations and 12 convictions. Ten of the 12 prosecutions were members of the public. One involved a medical practice staff member and one a practice owner. The value of those 12 cases adds up to an estimated $474,000, with fraudsters ripping off an average of almost $40,000 each. The Government says the number of frauds are low compared to the 344 million annual Medicare transactions, but some are calling for more action to combat the crimes. More » Australia welcomes military handover in Fiji SA Premier to go to court over 'misleading' school sex case ad Government considers Sochi Paralympics boycott over Ukraine crisis Bill to lift Qantas ownership restrictions passes Lower House Sport More Sport » Australia seals Test series with 245-run victory By Andrew McGarry Australia has won the Test series against South Africa 2-1 after dismissing the Proteas out for 265 late on day five. 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More » WA shark cull: Sea Shepherd's legal challenge fails Australians cross Bass Strait on paddleboards Barnett warns of repercussions of court action over shark cull Kimberley locals fight Buru's shale fracking plan About this email You received this email because you are subscribed to ABC News email alerts. This message was sent to you at starnewsposting@gmail.com Please add newslists@your.abc.net.au to your email address book to see images by default and stop the email being treated as spam. This email address is not monitored - Please don't reply to this email. Manage your preferences | Unsubscribe | Contact Us   This service may include material from Agence France-Presse (AFP), APTN, Reuters, AAP, CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced. Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 700 Harris Street, Ultimo NSW 2007 © 2014 ABC | Conditions of Use | Privacy Policy | Discover other ABC Email newsletters