Best, you should probably be more informed before you post such false statements as the one above. The President has been on top of this since his first year in office.
Ninety-one people including doctors, nurses and other medical professionals were charged criminally after an investigation of Medicare fraud that involved $430 million in false billing in seven cities, officials said on Thursday.
It was the government’s second big raid in recent months after a similar investigation in May involving $452 million in possible fraud in Medicare, the health program for the elderly and disabled.
The accusations include billing the government for unnecessary ambulance rides in California, writing prescriptions for patients in Dallas who did not qualify for them and paying kickbacks like food and cigarettes to patients in Houston if they attended programs for which a hospital could bill.
The investigation is part of an effort by the Obama administration to find health care savings.
http://www.nytimes.com/...
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President’s Budget Make Fraud Fighting a Top Priority Funds Programs That Will Result in Billions in Savings Over 10 Years
The Obama Administration has zero tolerance for fraud and abuse in Medicare, Medicaid and CHIP. Building on the work accomplished through HEAT, the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team established by Attorney General Eric Holder and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius in 2009, the President’s FY 2011 Budget includes historic support for anti-fraud efforts.
New funds are requested for programs that have a proven record of preventing fraud, reduce payment errors and returning funds to the Trust Funds. Some highlights from the President’s Budget include:
Smart Investments to Fight Fraud and Save Taxpayers Billions
The President’s Budget requests $1.7 billion for fraud fighting at the Department of Health and Human Services, $561 million of which in Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control (HCFAC) discretionary funding, an increase of $250 million over the FY 2010 enacted level. These investments will take money out of criminals’ pockets and return it to the Trust Funds where it belongs. Estimates indicate that these investments will generate $9.9 billion in savings from increased recoveries and prevention efforts. In addition, the Budget proposes legislative and administrative changes that will save$14.7 billion in Medicare and Medicaid over ten years.
Expanding Strike Forces
Since their inception Strike Force Teams, which are made up of local, state and federal law enforcement, agents from the FBI and the HHS Inspector General, and CMS anti-fraud experts have obtained indictments of more than 500 individuals and organizations that collectively have falsely billed the Medicare program for more than one billion dollars. Strike Force Teams initially began in Miami and Los Angeles and in 2009, new Strike Force Teams began work in Detroit, Houston, Brooklyn, Baton Rouge and Tampa. The President’s Budget will provide funds to expand and build upon this proven approach.
Better Data Sharing
The President’s Budget will support investments in cutting-edge technology and techniques that allow for the analysis of potential fraud with unprecedented speed. Improving data-sharing will allow investigators to obtain snapshots of fraudulent claims activity in real-time. Previously, obtaining this data and identifying potentially fraudulent activities took months or years.
Strengthening Oversight and Stepping Up Efforts to Prevent Fraud
A series of proposals supported in the President’s Budget will increase oversight, improve data analysis and help ensure only legitimate providers participate in the Medicare program.
http://www.stopmedicarefraud.g...fraud_factsheet.html
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"What the Affordable Care Act does and what CMS, I think, is doing now is really a shift of focus of the 'pay and chase' mentality," said Saccoccio. "[That's] where the fraud is committed, you've paid the money, now you have to go out and get it back and prosecute the individual."
Burns says the Obama administration's approach to fighting fraud has been more systematic than previous ones. Indeed, the number of so-called Medicare Strike Force teams operating around the country has quadrupled since 2009. Still, the mantra of the fraud fighters sounds a lot like a department store sale: The more you spend, the more you save.
"What we need to do is fund a war on fraud like we would fund a single day of a real war," Burns said. "If we do that, this country will straighten out real quick."
http://www.npr.org/blogs/healt...fighters-new-weapons