$196.3 Billion In Wasteful Spending Will Be Cut By 2019. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the Affordable Care Act will cut $196.3 billion in wasteful government spending over the next ten years. [Congressional Budget Office, 3/19/10]
The Affordable Care Act Cracks Down On Waste, Fraud, And Abuse. The Affordable Care Act authorized the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to establish new rules to crack down on waste, fraud, and abuse. The government estimates that "[i]mproper payments cost federal health programs about $55 billion a year." [The Hill, 9/20/10]
The Affordable Care Act Provides Tools To Crack Down On Health Care Fraud. From the Seattle Times: "Investigators have new tools this year to help crack down on health care fraud, with the Justice Department and the Health and Human Services Department working cooperatively to police companies. The newly enacted Affordable Care Act is designed to lengthen prison sentences in criminal cases and the new law provides an additional $300 million over the next 10 years for stronger enforcement. It also gives the government new authority to step up oversight of companies participating in Medicare and Medicaid." [Seattle Times, 5/13/10]
The Health Care Law Combats Fraud From Several Angles. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services:
Specificially, the proposed rule will:
- Establish the requirements for suspending payments to providers and suppliers based on credible allegations of fraud in Medicare and Medicaid;
- Establish the authority for imposing a temporary moratorium on Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP enrollment on providers and suppliers when necessary to help prevent or fight fraud, waste, and abuse without impeding beneficiaries' access to care.
- Strengthen and build on current provider enrollment and screening procedures to more accurately assure that fraudulent providers are not gaming the system and that only qualified health care providers and suppliers are allowed to enroll in and bill Medicare, Medicaid and CHIP;
- Outline requirements for states to terminate providers from Medicaid and CHIP when they have been terminated by Medicare or by another state Medicaid program or CHIP;
- Solicit input on how to best structure and develop provider compliance programs, now required under the Affordable Care Act, that will ensure providers are aware of and comply with CMS program requirements.
[U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 9/20/10]
