Section 5-37-217 - Healthcare fraud

(a) As used in this section, 'healthcare plan' means a publicly or privately funded program or organization that is formed to provide or pay for healthcare goods or services, including without limitation:(1) Health insurance plans;(2) Managed care organization plans;(3) Risk-based provider plans;(4) The Arkansas Medicaid Program;(5) The Social Security Disability Insurance program; and(6) The Medicare program.(b) A person commits healthcare fraud if, with a purpose to defraud a healthcare plan, the person provides materially false information or omits material information in support of: (1) An application for membership or eligibility for a healthcare plan;(2) A claim for payment or reimbursement as a member or provider in a healthcare plan; or(3) A prior claim for payment or to justify payments previously received from a healthcare plan for healthcare goods or services during the course of an audit or investigation conducted by the Office of Medicaid Inspector General or a healthcare oversight agency with jurisdiction to audit, investigate, or prosecute any form of healthcare fraud.(c) Healthcare fraud is a:(1) Class A misdemeanor if the aggregate amount of the healthcare fraud

e oversight agency with jurisdiction to audit, investigate, or prosecute any form of healthcare fraud.(c) Healthcare fraud is a:(1) Class A misdemeanor if the aggregate amount of the healthcare fraud in any period of twelve (12) months is less than two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500);(2) Class C felony if the aggregate amount of the healthcare fraud in any period of twelve (12) months is two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500) or more but less than five thousand dollars ($5,000);(3) Class B felony if the aggregate amount of the healthcare fraud in any period of twelve (12) months is five thousand dollars ($5,000) or more but less than twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000); and(4) Class A felony if the aggregate amount of the healthcare fraud in any period of twelve (12) months is twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) or more.Amended by Act 2017, No. 978,§ 1, eff. 8/1/2017.Added by Act 2013, No. 1499,§ 1, eff. 7/1/2013.