FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 7, 2010
Contact: Will Jennings, 202-225-4076


Lincoln, Pryor, Berry, Snyder, Ross: Arkansas’s Seniors Will Benefit from Funds to Boost Medicare Access and Prevent Medicare Fraud

$429K will support efforts of the Arkansas Insurance Department and Arkansas’s Senior Medicare Patrol Program.


Washington – U.S. Senators Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor and U.S. Representatives Marion Berry (AR-01), Vic Snyder (AR-02) and Mike Ross (AR-04) today announced that Arkansas will receive a total of $429,298 from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to help Medicare beneficiaries who qualify for subsidies receive assistance and prevent Medicare fraud in Arkansas.

The Arkansas Insurance Department will use $329,298 to support organizations throughout Arkansas that help low-income seniors, disabled people under 65 and those with ALS or End-Stage Renal Disease who qualify for Medicare apply for subsidies to help them pay for their Medicare premiums. Funds be used to educate Medicare beneficiaries about the availability of subsidies and assist them with paperwork at sites throughout Arkansas.

The Arkansas Department of Human Services Division of Aging and Adult Services will use $100,000 to help prevent Medicare fraud. Funds will allow Arkansas’s Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) Program to recruit and train volunteers throughout the state that will help seniors protect their personal information, detect fraud, and report suspicious billing or other activities.

“I applaud these efforts to strengthen Medicare for Arkansas’s seniors and other beneficiaries, particularly helping to ensure that those who qualify for Medicare Extra Help receive it,” Lincoln said. “I have consistently fought to crack down on fraud and abuse in Medicare, and I will continue working to preserve the promise of Medicare for Arkansas’s seniors.”

“Arkansas seniors deserve high-quality, affordable health care. These funds will bolster the Medicare program in Arkansas by cracking down on fraud and helping low-income Arkansans gain access to care,” Pryor said.

“I believe our senior citizens deserve the best support possible in helping manage their health through easier Medicare access, while also ensuring prevention from fraud,” Berry said. “Funding to strengthen these support services will mean better and more efficient care for all seniors.”

“It is essential that we protect Medicare,” Snyder said. “By reining in Medicare fraud, we can improve the quality and efficiency of care for more Arkansans.”

“Our seniors are an important part of the fabric of our nation and we must ensure they have the best possible care, nutrition and resources available,” Ross said. “I am pleased to help announce this federal investment because it will help give our seniors greater access to first-class health care throughout our great state.  In addition it will help will save our nation money by providing resources to the Arkansas Department of Human Services Division of Aging and Adult Services to find and eliminate instances of Medicare fraud.”

“I want to thank our congressional delegation for their assistance in obtaining this vital funding,” said Arkansas Insurance Commissioner Jay Bradford. “These funds are used to contract with community organizations throughout the state to ensure our most vulnerable population has access to health care through Medicare subsidies.”

“As we work to expand the Arkansas Senior Medicare Patrol, we will be increasing our efforts to recruit and train SMP volunteers across the state to help us empower more of Arkansas’s seniors to prevent health care fraud. SMP Program Administrator John Pollett and SMP Program Coordinator Kathleen Pursell have already stepped up recruiting efforts through SMP’s network of partnering agencies and will be encouraging seniors to join in helping spread the word about Medicare fraud prevention,” said Arkansas Division of Aging and Adult Services Director Krista Hughes.

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