Two Florida executives, Cory Lloyd and Steven Strong, have been sentenced to 20 years in prison for orchestrating a massive $233 million fraud scheme under the Affordable Care Act. Their scheme targeted vulnerable Florida residents, including the homeless, jobless, and hurricane victims, by lying and falsifying documents to obtain coverage and enrolling them in plans that would cost them their existing insurance. The pair profited from this scheme by purchasing luxury items, including a yacht and an oceanfront home, while causing real harm to patients by disrupting their access to life-saving treatments for opioid use disorders, mental health disorders, and serious infectious diseases. Lloyd and Strong were sophisticated, licensed insurance brokers who intentionally targeted vulnerable individuals, and their actions have been met with a strong response from the Justice Department, which has been cracking down on healthcare fraud with its 'strike force' program, resulting in criminal charges against thousands of individuals.
