Fact check: Did Rick Jackson’s company profit from a Medicare scam?

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - A political ad, paid for by Burt Jones for Georgia, claims Georgia governor candidate Rick Jackson’s company profited from a Medicare fraud scam.

Jones is running in the Republican primary against Jackson. He is also being sued by Jackson for defamation related to other claims.

The ad states: “You know what Georgians hate? Being taken advantage of. And that’s what Rick Jackson did. According to the US Attorney, Jackson’s company profited off a Medicare fraud scam targeting seniors. That’s despicable.”

What the investigation found

Rick Jackson founded and owns Jackson Healthcare, the parent company of Jackson & Coker, a healthcare staffing firm.

In 2024, the US Attorney’s Office of the Eastern District of Washington announced Jackson & Coker, as well as physician Edward Salko, agreed to pay $700,000 to “resolve allegations” that they participated in a kickback scheme to bill Medicare for medically unnecessary equipment.

According to the US Attorney’s Office, Salko was retained by a company called Nationwide through Jackson & Coker. Nationwide used telemarketers to contact people on Medicare, obtained personal information about them, and used that information to generate a physician order for medical equipment. Salko would then sign the order, after which they were billed to Medicare. Nationwide then paid Jackson & Coker, who paid Salko for each order he reviewed.

The US Attorney’s Office said Jackson & Coker fully cooperated with the federal investigation and “has taken significant remedial actions designed to improve its legal and compliance efforts and internal controls related to placing providers with telemedicine clients.”