Abstract
The government argues that, by presenting the bill, the company impliedly (and falsely) certifies that it has met the material conditions for payment, and that the octane requirement doesn't need to be expressly designated as a condition for payment to trigger FCA liability, as long as that requirement is material-meaning that it is relevant to the government's decision whether to pay the bill.\n When you add Medicare expenditures, the yearly figure tops $1.2 trillion dollars. [...]health care fraud is apparently rampant. While respondents and the federal government characterize the FCA as an effective tool for combating fraud, petitioner and its amici characterize the FCA as a blunt instrument that threatens "catastrophic" liability because of its provisions authorizing qui tarn suits, treble damages, and civil penalties.