GAO report: Medicare not doing enough insurer audits-Firms keep millions that should have gone to consumers

[babylonsister]

GAO report: Medicare not doing enough insurer audits
Firms keep millions that should have gone to consumers

Robert Pear, New York Times


(09-10) 04:00 PDT Washington --

Private insurance companies participating in Medicare have been allowed to keep tens of millions of dollars that should have gone to consumers, and the Bush administration did not properly audit the companies or try to recover money paid in error, congressional investigators say in a new report.

The investigators, from the Government Accountability Office, said the money could have been used to reduce premiums or provide additional benefits to older Americans.

Under federal law, Medicare officials are supposed to audit the financial records of at least one-third of the insurance companies each year. But the investigators said the Bush administration had fallen far short of that goal and had never met the "statutory requirement."

Indeed, they said, the proportion of companies audited by Medicare declined steadily - to 14 percent in 2006 from 24 percent in 2001 - despite a steady growth in Medicare payments to the plans. Those payments now total $75 billion a year, about one-fifth of all Medicare spending.

The Bush administration did not take issue with the findings.

more...

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2007/09/10/MNUDS2GBG.DTL&type=politics

[bobbolink]

1. The GAO is too truthful and accurate.. it's been successfully marginalized.

GAO keeps putting out reports that tell us we've lost our country, yet it gets little, if any, attention from USians.

[babylonsister]

3. I'm seeing that, too, bobbolink. Whether it has to do with Medicare

or the war, no one seems to be paying much attention to the GAO's reports.

[Javaman]

5. Imagine working there? talk about frustrating. nt

[bobbolink]

6. I imagine morale is in the toilet.

:shrug:

[madrchsod]

2. surprise surprise!

giving money to those not in need...those dirty welfare cheats

[flashl]

4. What else does he need to do?

GAO Chief warns economic disaster looms 10/06
GAO Chief to America - We are broke 03/07