Bilirakis Introduces Legislation to Fight Medicare Waste, Fraud and Abuse

?We must ensure we are making the most effective and efficient use of limited taxpayer dollars,? Bilirakis said. ?With approximately $1 trillion in spending, Medicare, Medicaid and CHIP are some of the largest federal programs. This commonsense legislation strengthens safety measures to reduce waste, fraud and abuse and holds these programs accountable to all Americans.?

The MAP Act updates and strengthens the civil and criminal penalties for Medicare, Medicaid and CHIP abuse. It requires a valid National Prescriber Identification (NPI) number for prescribers on Medicare pharmacy claims and incentivizes states to conduct their own prescription drug monitoring programs by allowing them to keep a greater percentage of recovered funds when fraud is discovered in the Medicaid program.

It also requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to submit an annual report to Congress that estimates the amount of fraud currently in the system. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) do not currently measure fraud in their programs.

Finally, the MAP Act removes Social Security Numbers from Medicare cards to better prevent identify theft.

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