Title 18, Crimes and Criminal ProcedureRelease 119-110
§1347 Health Care Fraud
Title 18 › PART I — CRIMES › CHAPTER 63 — MAIL FRAUD AND OTHER FRAUD OFFENSES › § 1347
Summary
Illegal to knowingly use a plan to cheat any health care benefit program or to get its money or property by lies about care delivery or payment. Punishable by a fine or up to 10 years in prison; up to 20 years if serious bodily injury (§1365); any term of years or life if death. Guilty even if you didn’t know the law or intend it.
Full Legal Text
Title 18, §1347
Crimes and Criminal Procedure, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)Whoever knowingly and willfully executes, or attempts to execute, a scheme or artifice—
(1)to defraud any health care benefit program; or
(2)to obtain, by means of false or fraudulent pretenses, representations, or promises, any of the money or property owned by, or under the custody or control of, any health care benefit program,
in connection with the delivery of or payment for health care benefits, items, or services, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 10 years, or both. If the violation results in serious bodily injury (as defined in section 1365 of this title), such person shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both; and if the violation results in death, such person shall be fined under this title, or imprisoned for any term of years or for life, or both.
(b)With respect to violations of this section, a person need not have actual knowledge of this section or specific intent to commit a violation of this section.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
Amendments
2010—Pub. L. 111–148 designated existing provisions as subsec. (a) and added subsec. (b).
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
18 U.S.C. § 1347
Title 18, Crimes and Criminal Procedure
Last Updated
Sep 22, 2026
Release point: 119-110