Health Care Fraud Judgments: Federal Authorities Recovered $4.1 Billion In 2011

[SunsetDreams]

Federal authorities say they recovered $4.1 billion in health care fraud judgments last year, a record high which officials on Monday credited to new tools for cracking down on deceitful Medicare claims.

The recovered funds are up roughly 50 percent from 2009. Attorney General Eric Holder and Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius were expected to make the announcement at a news conference Tuesday.

The Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human Services told The Associated Press that agencies are doing a better job of screening providers before they get in the system and have beefed up enrollment requirements. Now investigators are conducting site visits to make sure moderate risk providers have a legitimate office. Higher risk providers are also subject to fingerprint and criminal background checks.

...

The teams charged 323 defendants, who collectively billed the Medicare program more than $1 billion last year. That includes a massive bust in February 2011, in which more than 100 doctors, nurses and physical therapists were charged with fraud in nine states. Stopping Medicare's budget from hemorrhaging that money will be key to paying for President Barack Obama's health care overhaul.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/14/health-care-fraud-judgment_n_1275320.html

[Sheepshank]

1. Medicare and medicaid cost cutting.....

was not about cutting benefits.

Can't tell by many of the past repsonses here on DU however. The outrage and manufactured hypotheses went on for evah "It's on the table", "cat food commission" etc etc etc.

[cbayer]

2. Agree. The cost cutting has already had a serious impact and no

benefits have been cut.

There is so much room for improvement in this system, and if we want it to be the template for a universal, single payer, then these improvements need to be aggressively pursued.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

3. Scary to think how much isn't being recovered

Not the DOJs fault, just raw probabilities. Damn shame too, good people need that money.

[Worried senior]

4. I bet

a lot of those that are commiting these frauds vote republican too.