ton of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, and was investigated by the FBI, HHS-OIG and the Railroad Retirement Board, OIG.

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The case was brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, supervised by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas and the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section. Since their inception in March 2007, Strike Force operations in seven districts have obtained indictments of more than 500 individuals who collectively have falsely billed the Medicare program for more than $1.1 billion. In addition, HHS’s Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the HHS-OIG, are taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.

 

Texas Again Leads All States in Cat Losses

 

year it’s been ice and snow.” In 2009, the state’s costliest weather catastrophe occurred in the Dal-las/Fort Worth area on June 9. What the National Weather Service office in Fort Worth described as an “ extraordinary windstorm” caused an estimated $400 million dollars in damage. The storm spawned tornadoes and 80 mile per hour winds that tore through Roanoke, Trophy Club, and Flower Mound causing widespread damage, while flooding from eight inches of rain occurred the next day in Dallas.

2009 Catastrophic Losses Texas ........................... $2.458 billion Colorado..................... $1.319 billion Georgia ......................... $821 million Kentucky.......................$776 million Oklahoma ..................... $604 million Source: Property Claim Services

About ICT

The Insurance Council of Texas is the largest state insurance trade association in the country consisting of more than 500 property and casualty insurers writing business in Texas. More information is listed on ICT’s Web site, www.insurancecouncil.org.

THE INSURANCE RECORD • MARCH 11, 2010 13