The Medicare Trust Fund, which is in the red and on track to reach insolvency by 2026, needs every penny it can get. Thanks to the Recovery Audit Contractor (RAC) program, $8.2 billion in improper Medicare payments has been recovered since its nationwide implementation in 2010. RACs operate on a contingency fee basis, so their work does not cost taxpayers a dime. Rather than celebrate this successful program, members of Congress, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and special interests, particularly the hospital trade associations, are conspiring to kill it.
Legislation Puts Recovery Auditing, and Taxpayers, at Risk
Government waste, fraud, and abuse are a scourge on American taxpayers and a multi-billion dollar insult to the federal budget, but preventing improper payments, particularly in Medicare, is now running into roadblocks despite being a rare example of success. Medicare providers, particularly hospitals, which have for years received billions in improper overpayments, now fully appreciate that new auditing and recovery techniques dramatically inhibit the flow of those overpayments. More importantly, officials managing an actuarially and fiscally compromised Medicare program now have the ability, motivation, and authority to demand that providers repay those funds.
Legislation Puts Medicare Recovery Auditing, and Taxpayers, At Risk
Government waste, fraud, and abuse are a scourge on American taxpayers and a multi-billion dollar insult to the federal budget, but preventing improper payments, particularly in Medicare, is now running into roadblocks despite being a rare example of success. Medicare providers, particularly hospitals, which have for years received billions in improper overpayments, now fully appreciate […]
Back to Black – II
A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog about Senator Coburn’s (R-OK) efforts in fighting a bloated federal government, rife with waste, fraud, and abuse. You may recall his office has produced several reports on where spending could be cut in the federal government. In my blog, I pulled out some examples from one of […]
Seeing Double: Yes, Even More Duplication!
As part of a continuing series, CAGW is providing you with examples of duplication and overlap within the federal government that has been researched by the Government Accountability Office (GAO). In the 2011 GAO annual report, “Opportunities to Reduce Potential Duplication in Government Programs, Save Tax Dollars, and Enhance Revenue,” the agency offers 81 suggestions […]
CAGW’s Prime Cuts Hones in On Programmatic Waste
Every year, Citizens Against Government Waste produces Prime Cuts, a comprehensive list of spending cuts that could be used by Congress to reduce spending and keep the budget under the Budget Control Act spending caps. Here are just a few of the programs CAGW includes in its Prime Cuts report. Eliminate the Rural Utilities Service 1-Year […]
The Fix is In…
The deal has been made; Congress and President Obama figured out a way to provide continued subsidies for healthcare premiums for congressional staff. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) just released the proposed regulation, which can be found here. Despite what many have noted is a lack of statutory authority to issue this regulation, it nonetheless […]
IRS’ Litany of Mismanagement
The IRS is in full crisis mode and the staff of Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) J. Russell George has been busier than a one-legged man in a butt kickin’ contest.
Postal Reform: A Chance for Republicans to Say Yes!
“Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.”
In Other News…..The Farm Bill and The Terrible Twelve!
With the triad of scandals rocking Washington this week, you would be forgiven if you were unaware of the fact that we are heading into consideration of a five-year $940 billion Farm Bill, starting Monday. CCAGW, along with ten other taxpayer watchdog and consumer groups, distributed a nice primer on the “Terrible Twelve” items currently contained in the behemoth that should be of serious concern: “Washington’s Farm Policy is a nearly […]