The county Board of Supervisors directed its staff Tuesday to develop recommendations aimed at improving coordination with other agencies to crack down on home health and hospice fraud.
“Fraud in home health and hospice care is not just a financial crime — it is a direct threat to the health and safety of some of our most vulnerable residents,” Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath said in a statement after the board’s unanimous vote. “Los Angeles County is doing our part and will not allow bad actors to exploit gaps in oversight while patients and families are put at risk. Stronger coordination and accountability across every level of government is essential to protect people and restore trust in these critical services.”
According to Horvath’s office, there are more than 4,700 home health and hospice care facilities operating in the county, at a time when fraud by some operators has been rising — such as billing federal agencies for care that was never provided, or using stolen identities to enroll patients.
Last week, federal authorities in Los Angeles announced charges against 15 people suspected of health care fraud, including operating sham hospice facilities that pay people without terminal illnesses to pose as dying Medicare beneficiaries.
The motion approved by the Board of Supervisors Tuesday directs the county Department of Public Health to report back to the board with recommendations for improving coordination with local, state and federal agencies in investigating fraud cases. It also urges the state and federal government to strengthen oversight of such facilities and increase enforcement efforts, while boosting accountability for private accrediting organizations that are responsible for monitoring many providers.
“Hospice and home health care exist to serve our most vulnerable residents, so fraud in these industries is a profound betrayal of their trust,” Supervisor Kathryn Barger said in a statement. “Los Angeles County cannot stand by while unscrupulous individuals exploit any gaps between local, state, and federal oversight. We must work toward stronger coordination and accountability at every level of government to protect the patients and families who depend on these critical services.”
In announcing the federal charges against 15 people last week, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli blasted state officials — notably Gov. Gavin Newsom — for reigning over a “kingdom of fraud” in California in health-industry fraud, saying the state refuses to adopt emergency regulations to root out health care lawbreakers.
Newsom shot back that new hospice licenses in the state were banned in 2021, and at least 280 licenses have been revoked in the last two years. He said more than 100 criminal cases dealing with hospice fraud have been filed by state prosecutors, but noted that much of the fraud involves federal programs.
“Glad to see the feds finally taking seriously the fraud in the programs they themselves manage … only 15 months after Trump took office,” Newsom wrote on social media.