The US Justice Department has charged 455 people in its annual National Health Care Fraud Takedown, involving more than $6.5 billion in alleged false claims, with a record number of state Medicaid units taking part. Many of the schemes relied on stealing other people's medical identities, and prosecutors added aggravated identity theft charges in cases across dozens of states, highlighting how such fraud can cause lasting harm to victims whose records and insurance benefits are misused.

Ninety of those charged are doctors or other licensed medical professionals, though the DOJ notes the charges must still be proven in court. In one example, the co-owner of a Virginia mental health company allegedly paid homeless people with hotel stays, used their Medicaid numbers, then billed for crisis services never provided. The article explains that when a thief's treatment is billed under a victim's name, incorrect information such as a blood type, drug allergy or diagnosis can end up in their medical file, which is far harder to fix than cancelling a credit card. It also links the problem to data breaches, citing NYC Health + Hospitals reporting this spring that an intruder copied files affecting roughly 1.8 million current and former patients and employees.