Banks and other financial institutions flagged about $17.5 billion in suspicious activity potentially tied to health care fraud over one year, and home health care businesses were the type of provider named most often. The Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, or FinCEN, released its financial trend analysis on health care fraud on Sept. 9 after reviewing 5,702 reports filed between March 1, 2025, and Feb. 28, 2026.
The dollar figure is a flag, not a finding. These suspicious activity reports signal potential fraud and do not establish that any specific provider broke the law. FinCEN itself cautions that reported amounts can be overly inclusive and may include attempted transactions, legal activity, and filer errors. Depository institutions filed about 89% of the reports.
The home health finding matters for a reason beyond the headline number. Home health care serves people who are homebound because of illness or injury, many of them older adults on Medicare, which makes billing problems in this sector a concern for patients and families, not only for taxpayers.
Home Health Businesses at the Center of the Reports
According to FinCEN, home health care businesses were identified as the suspected fraudulent provider in about one in five reports overall. When the agency set aside reports involving possible Medicaid eligibility fraud in Puerto Rico, home health accounted for nearly 32% of the remaining filings. Hospice companies, behavioral health and addiction treatment providers, medical equipment suppliers, and adult or child daycares followed.
The report describes a pattern that should concern families. Most filers described purported providers that did not appear to offer any medical services. The majority of home health businesses in the dataset were registered at residential homes, and at least 43% of reports outside the Puerto Rico eligibility cases involved companies at residential addresses.
FinCEN's case examples come from bank filings, not court findings. One filer flagged an Indiana home health agency, registered at a home, whose owner reportedly spent more than $240,000 of agency funds on luxury apparel and gambling at a nearby casino. Another flagged a Maryland home health business, also registered at a residential home, that received about $1.4 million from a state health agency and reportedly used the money for personal expenses, including payments to a plastic surgeon.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the filings gave law enforcement "critical insight into the illicit actors who deliberately exploit U.S. health care benefits programs," according to RTTNews coverage of Treasury's announcement.
Los Angeles, Minneapolis and Miami Top the County List
The reports named subjects in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., but a handful of metro areas dominated. Los Angeles County appeared in 777 reports, far more than any other county, with Glendale, Los Angeles, Van Nuys, Burbank and North Hollywood among its most frequently listed cities. Hennepin County, Minnesota, home to Minneapolis, followed with 300 reports, and Miami-Dade County had 247.
In New York City, Brooklyn appeared in 174 reports and Queens in 162. Cook County, Illinois, which includes Chicago, had 137. Marion County, home to Indianapolis, had 124; Orange County, California, had 123; Palm Beach County had 122; and Harris County, Texas, which includes Houston, had 120.
Those counts reflect where the subjects of suspicious bank activity were located, not where patients were harmed. They do suggest where families may want to watch closely for unfamiliar agencies and billing.
The sums involved add up to a very large program. FinCEN cited a CMS estimate of improper payments of about 9.5%, or roughly $2.8 billion, in home health and hospice in 2025. Improper payments include billing errors and documentation problems, not only fraud. FinCEN also noted that CMS has described home health as vulnerable because Medicare trusts physicians and nurses to provide accurate diagnoses and necessary services and does not verify claims before paying them.
Homebound Patients Face a Hidden Risk
The people most exposed are often the least able to spot a problem: homebound older adults, people with disabilities, Medicaid enrollees who rely on in-home services, and patients whose adult children manage care from another city.
FinCEN lists common schemes that can reach them, including billing for services never delivered, upcoding to bill for more expensive care than was provided, and stealing patients' health insurance identifiers, sometimes through bogus marketing offers. A person whose Medicare number is misused may later find care claims that were never received.
The report says health care fraud "puts patients at risk," but it does not document specific cases of patient harm or measure whether any patient went without needed care. That remains an open question for investigators.
Checking Statements and Reporting Concerns
Families can take a few concrete steps. Medicare's fact sheet on fighting Medicare fraud advises beneficiaries to record appointments and services, review Medicare Summary Notices or plan statements for claims they do not recognize, and check claims early through a secure Medicare.gov account.
Caregivers can look for home health visits billed on days when no one came, agencies they have never heard of, or services a relative never received. A mistake is not always fraud, so a call to the provider's billing office can resolve simple errors.
Suspected fraud can be reported to 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) or to the HHS Office of Inspector General hotline at 1-800-HHS-TIPS (1-800-447-8477). The Senior Medicare Patrol, at 1-877-808-2468, offers free help reviewing statements. Beneficiaries should never give out a Medicare number in exchange for free medical care, equipment or other offers.
Anyone whose loved one is not receiving ordered home health care should raise it with the prescribing doctor quickly, since gaps in wound care, medication management or therapy can affect recovery.
FinCEN previously issued an advisory urging banks to watch for health care fraud schemes, and it said filings made after that advisory were consistent with this report. Whether the flagged activity leads to charges remains to be seen. In the meantime, statements remain a family's best early warning.
Key Questions Answered
What did FinCEN report? Financial institutions filed 5,702 reports over one year flagging about $17.5 billion in suspicious activity potentially tied to health care fraud.
Does this mean $17.5 billion was stolen? No. The reports flag potential fraud. They do not prove wrongdoing, and the amounts can include attempted transactions, legal activity, and filer errors.
Why does home health stand out? Home health businesses were the most frequently named suspected providers, appearing in about one in five reports and nearly a third after excluding Puerto Rico Medicaid eligibility cases.
Which areas appeared most often? Los Angeles County led with 777 reports, followed by Hennepin County in Minnesota, Miami-Dade, Brooklyn, Queens, Cook County, Marion County, Orange County, Palm Beach, and Harris County.
Who is most at risk? Homebound older adults, people with disabilities, and patients who rely on in-home services, especially if relatives manage care from a distance.
How can families spot problems? Review Medicare Summary Notices or plan statements for unfamiliar providers, visits that never happened or services a relative never received.
Where can suspected fraud be reported? Call 1-800-MEDICARE or the HHS Office of Inspector General hotline at 1-800-HHS-TIPS. The Senior Medicare Patrol can also help review statements.
