Investigation: Feds overpaid $70B to Medicare Advantage

The Hill ^ | June 4, 2014 | By Ferdous Al-Faruque

[Oldeconomybuyer]

The federal government wrongfully paid Medicare Advantage programs almost $70 billion, mostly through overbilling between 2008 and 2013, according to a new report.

The Center for Public Integrity released the first of its four part investigative series Wednesday on Medicare Advantage payments that examines the use of risk scores used by providers to charge the government more for sicker patients.

Medicare Advantage covers nearly 16 million people and is expected to cost more than $150 billion this year. However, reviews by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have also found billing errors in 30 percent or more of patient files who are covered under such plans.

[Oldeconomybuyer]

FORWARD COMRADES!!

[the anti-mahdi]

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaaha

Look at my shocked expression.

The Feds? Really? You mean the arbiters of all that is good and right in America?

Really?

I think I just pissed in my pants...

[Wuli]

when its not your own money, accountability is not a bureaucratic priority

crony capitalist insurance companies who can leave a billing problem to Medicare, as long as they get their cut, would be more concerned if THEY were responsible for any over-billing errors/losses in Medicare Advantage

[SierraWasp]

Well, I drilled down all the way through the "Center for Public Integrity"s" website and looked over the list of their financial contributors and scanned the type of articles/studies, etc. that they have there.

This is the same garbage that Obama himself has been spewing that Medicare Advantage plans (outsourcing medicare claims paying to private sector insurers) is supposedly the source of ALL fraud, waste and abuse!

If anyone believes that this private sector administration of medicare claims is any worse in ANY WAY than the former administration by the federal bureaucrazy, they are just plain NUTS!!!

[Oldeconomybuyer]

Thanks for the FResearch!

[SierraWasp]

Yer welcome! Glad ta be of service to my Fellow FReepers!!! You betcha!!!

[publius911]

The federal government wrongfully paid Medicare Advantage programs almost $70 billion, mostly through overbilling between 2008 and 2013, according to a new report.

Who coulda seen that coming?

I remember in mid 2013 I received a blizzard of mailings from dozens of groups pushing Medicare Advantage.

I actually attended a couple of them. They had free food; a rapid fire delivery that no one could follow and most of the attendees could barely understand and speak English.
And the push to sign up as many as possible guaranteed that 90%+ of them were aimed at the Medicaid trajectory.

I repeat, who coulda see that coming?