THIS HEARING TO FOCUS ON ROLE AND EFFECTIVENESS OF PRIVATE CONTRACTORS IN DETECTING AND PREVENTING FRAUD

JUNE 7, 2012 – As Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-FL) is continuing to examine waste, fraud, and abuse in Medicare and Medicaid.  “The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the very agency tasked with administering Medicare and conducting and overseeing anti-fraud efforts, cannot define the scope of the problem,” said Stearns. “However, we have heard the estimates: 10% of all health care billings are potentially fraudulent -- a $60- to $80-billion drain on America’s taxpayers.  In this hearing, we will examine CMS’ oversight of its contractors and identify ways to improve the contractors’ effectiveness at preventing and combating fraud.” 

On Friday, June 8, 2012, at 9:30 a.m. in room 2123 RHOB, the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations will hold a hearing entitled “Medicare Contractors’ Efforts to Fight Fraud – Moving Beyond ‘Pay and Chase’.”  This is a follow up to an oversight hearing held in March of 2011 examining abuses in these programs.  At that hearing, CMS was unable to even venture an estimate on how much was lost in waste, fraud, and abuse.  In addition, one enforcement witness testified on finding $3.7 billion in Medicare fraud just in south Florida.      

Witnesses:

Mr. Robert A. Vito Regional Inspector General, Office of Evaluations and Inspections Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services;

Ms. Kathleen M. King Director, Health Care U.S. Government Accountability Office; and

Mr. Ted Doolittle Deputy Director, Center for Program Integrity Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.