Dearborn, MI – America’s leading lawmaker in the crusade to weed out waste, fraud and abuse in Medicare and Medicaid joined with the men and women on the front lines for an up-close look at their work in Michigan.  Congressman John D. Dingell (D-MI15) became the first Congressman to join any unit of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force for a ride-along and lengthy discussion of their work.

“What I saw during my visit was quite remarkable,” Dingell said.  “These law enforcement leaders are protecting the poorest, the elderly, the sick from the most crooked and evil of con artists.  We all suffer because of these crimes, even if we are not directly victimized.  These crooks drive up our insurance costs and place incredible drain on our resources.  The pursuit of these cons is a top priority and I feel better after seeing the men and women leading the chase in action.”

Because of the strike force’s efforts in Detroit, more than 40 people have been convicted, 90 others have been indicted and courts have ordered criminals to repay over $23 million to Medicare.

Detroit is one of seven cities where the strike force is operating (Miami, Los Angeles, Houston, Brooklyn, Tampa and Baton Rouge are the others). The strike force is a multi-agency team of federal, state and local investigators designed to combat Medicare fraud through the use of Medicare data analysis techniques and an increased focus on community policing.  Historically, the government used a pay and chase method to fight fraud -- going after the fraudsters after the perpetrators already had the checks in hand.  Now, the strike force is trying to catch crooks while the con is on and deter fraud before it begins.  The strike force includes representatives from the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General, Department of Justice prosecutors, the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigators, and data analysts.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), which Congressman Dingell led the fight to push through the House of Representatives, will further increase their efforts.

“The Affordable Care Act will give fraud prevention and enforcement teams additional resources and tools to better do their jobs. It will allow CMS (The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) to better screen providers before they enter the system, and stiffen penalties for fraudulent providers after we catch them in the act,” Dingell said. 

Congressman Dingell and Congressional supporters of the PPACA worked hard to strengthen existing compliance and enforcement tools to save taxpayers billions of dollars, investing in new tools to produce better results. 

For a closer look at what PPACA does to fight Waste, Fraud and Abuse, click here.

These investments provide a real return to the tax payers.  The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that every $1 spent to fight waste, fraud and abuse yields approximately $1.75 in return. Some estimates from the Department of Justice show a four to one return.

Last year alone the anti-fraud effort returned more than $2.5 billion to the Medicare Trust fund – a 29 percent increase over 2008 efforts.  In July, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force announced their largest health care fraud bust.  Ninety-four people throughout Detroit, Baton Rouge, Brooklyn, Houston, and Miami were charged for their alleged participation to collectively submit more than $251 million in false claims to Medicare.