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Sep 29 2010

Dr. Coburn Introduces Bill To Stop Medicare and Medicaid Fraud “FAST”

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – U.S. Senator Tom Coburn, M.D. (R-OK), a practicing physician and participant in February’s White House summit on health reform, today introduced a bill with Rep. Peter Roskam (R-IL, 6th) that was inspired by President Obama’s February 22, 2010 endorsement of several Republican proposals designed to combat waste, fraud, and abuse in Medicare and Medicaid. Dr. Coburn introduced S. 3900, the “Fighting Fraud and Abuse to Save Taxpayers’ Dollars” or “FAST” Act with Rep. Roskam, who also attended the White House health summit. The bill notionally represents the Republican solutions to combat waste in Medicare and Medicaid that the President endorsed.

“The status quo in Medicaid and Medicare is unsustainable and unacceptable. American taxpayers lose $100 billion in waste, fraud, and abuse in Medicare and Medicaid each year,” Dr. Coburn said. “Congress and the Administration must do a better job of working to staunch this flow of taxpayer dollars that goes to crooks instead of providing care.”

“The current system was designed to be defrauded,” Coburn said. “Organized crime rings and gangs are bilking billions of taxpayer dollars from Medicare each year because it is so easy to defraud the system. The American people ought to be outraged and should not stand for this.”

“We believe our bill offers a bipartisan step forward to give HHS and the Inspector General more tools to share data, stiffen penalties, and pilot new ways of combating egregious fraud. We could save at least $400 billion over a decade, just by preventing fraud.

“Federal bureaucrats must be held accountable. Payment processes must be reformed. I hope politicians and bureaucrats can put the public interest ahead of their own and I look forward to working with any member who is serious about reducing waste, fraud, and abuse in public health care programs.”

Click here for a one-page summary of the "FAST" Act.

Click here for the "FAST" Act Q and A sheet.

Click here for a section-by-section of the "FAST" Act.

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