Phantom Billing, Fake Prescriptions, and the High Cost of MedicineU. S. health care is a $2. 5 trillion system that accounts for more than 17 percent of the nation's GDP. It is also highly susceptible to fraud. Estimates vary, but some observers believe that as much as 10 percent of all medical billing involves some type of fraud. In 2009, New York's Medicaid fraud office recovered $283 million and obtained 148 criminal convictions. In July 2010, the U. S. Justice Department charged nearly 100 patients, doctors, and