Covid-19 can make money. And for some, it can even save a lot… At least 34 pharmacies have been singled out for being reimbursed by health insurance for antigenic tests that they have never actually carried out or delivered, reveals RTL.
This number of fraudsters could increase further. 353 pharmacies have been or are in the process of being audited. 150 files were closed without action, and 169 pharmacies are still the subject of a procedure, reports the radio.
According to calculations by Health Insurance, these 34 pharmacies are accused of having embezzled 53 million euros. A single pharmacy is even accused of having charged 18 million euros for false tests! As Le Parisien revealed in January, this pharmacist at the head of several pharmacies in the capital was indicted on December 17 for fraud and money laundering in an organized gang, forgery and use of forgery after which he was imprisoned.
“In 9 out of 10 cases, it is a pharmacy that claims to have distributed tests to a nurse, a doctor, a physiotherapist. The pharmacy will bill us for the tests, which it did not deliver to these health professionals, ”explains the director general of Health Insurance to RTL.
14 criminal complaints were filed by the services of the National Health Insurance Fund (Cnam). So what do pharmacies risk? They could have to pay back what they have pocketed, but also receive a ban from practicing or even a prison sentence. Already several pharmacists have been sentenced throughout the country for this type of fraud.