The Senate Special Committee on Aging examined Medicare fraud on Wednesday and explored ways to protect seniors and taxpayers from abuse.
A victim of Medicare fraud testified that she was unnecessarily subjected to months of expensive and painful intravenous treatments for an immune system disorder.
Senate Special Committee on Aging Ranking Member Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said Medicare fraud takes a financial and human toll.
“It is very troubling to learn of instances of Medicare fraud that could seriously jeopardize patient’s health caused by completely unnecessary treatments,” Collins said.
Collins served on a panel that held a series of hearings in the 1990s to examine Medicare fraud. Since the hearings, Medicare contractors have been required conduct site visits of durable medical equipment suppliers to make sure they meet Medicare enrollment standards, and Medicare providers are now screened through a licensing system that requires background checks.
Collin said those who defraud the Medicare system have become increasingly sophisticated and more steps must be taken to prevent fraud before it occurs.
More than $44 billion in improper payments due to waste, fraud, abuse and mismanagement were made in 2012, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
“The loss of these funds not only compromises the financial integrity of the Medicare program, but it also undermines our ability to provide needed healthcare services to the more than 54 million older and disabled Americans who rely on this vital program,” Collins said.
The committee heard testimony from a CMS representative, a Department of Health and Human Services representative and a volunteer from Senior Medicare Patrol, a group that educates seniors about how to recognize and report fraud.