Harver Health Insurance Counter Fraud Group: Lawmakers Join All-Out Push to Combat Medicare Fraud

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Lawmakers Join All-Out Push to Combat Medicare
Fraud
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WASHINGTON, DC - As law enforcement announced a
nationwide sting against Medicare fraudsters
today, a bipartisan group of lawmakers
in Washington was putting the finishing touches
on legislation aimed at making a significant dent
in the problem.   Federal law enforcement
officials in Miami today announced the details of
a multi-agency strike force operation that
resulted in the arrest of 90 people nationwide
for defrauding Medicare out of some 260
million.  
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U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging Chairman
Bill Nelson (D-FL) and Ranking Member Susan
Collins (R-ME), who have spent a great deal of
time examining the problem of Medicare fraud and
ways to curtail it, commended the actions
announced today by federal officials while also
saying that the crackdown illustrates the need to
do more to stop Medicare fraud. Nelson and
Collins, along with Sens. Tom Carper (D-DE)
and Chuck Grassley(R-IA), have authored
legislation to strengthen the government's hand
in stopping Medicare fraud. The lawmakers plan to
formally file the legislation on Thursday.
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"This is exactly why we're doing the
legislation," said U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL)
who chairs the Senate Special Committee on Aging.
"We've got to get the problem under
control."   Senator Collins added, "For decades,
the GAO has identified Medicare as being at high
risk for improper payments. This is unacceptable.
The loss of these funds not only compromises the
financial integrity of the Medicare program, but
it also undermines our ability to provide needed
health care services to the more than 54 million
older and disabled American workers who depend on
this vial program. Our legislation emphasizes a
strategy to prevent fraud from happening in the
first place."
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"Medicare provides lifesaving care to some of our
nation's most vulnerable citizens," said Sen.
Carper. "Unfortunately, too many unscrupulous
individuals take advantage of this vital program
and end up costing taxpayers millions and
shortchanging beneficiaries. It is critical that
we do all that we can to curb fraud while
protecting beneficiaries and ensuring effective
care. This legislation is an important step in
combating Medicare fraud and preserving this
essential program for the future generations. I
commend Sens. Nelson and Collins for their
leadership in this effort.  Continue reading