Representative John Lewis Fights Medicare Fraud and Abuse

Washington, DC - Congressman John Lewis, 5th Congressional District, Georgia has been at the forefront fighting Medicare fraud and abuse.  On Wednesday, September 22nd that fight took another step forward.  The U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 6130 the "Strengthening Medicare Anti-Fraud Measures Act." 

"Each time someone steals money from Medicare, it weakens the public trust," said Congressman Lewis.  "It hurts our seniors and threatens the future of Medicare.  We will not allow criminals to rob Medicare.  If you defraud Medicare once, you will never, ever do it again," added Congressman Lewis.

This legislation came out of the Ways and Means joint Health and Oversight Subcommittee's, which Congressman Lewis chairs, June hearing on reducing fraud, waste, and abuse in Medicare.  The bill had bipartisan support with 20 original co-sponsors. 

H.R. 6130 enhances Medicare's ability to keep criminals out of the Medicare program by adding two particular fraud-fighting tools.  The first one expands the discretionary authority of the HHS Office of the Inspector General (OIG) to ban corporate executives from doing business with Medicare if their companies were convicted of fraud.  The second expands the OIG's permissive authority to exclude affiliates of corporations convicted of fraud, including parent companies hiding behind convicted corporate shells.

"CEO's who defraud Medicare should not be able to simply move to a different company and continue to bill Medicare.  This legislation will stop these practices," stated Congressman Lewis.

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