Penny wise, pound foolish? Contrast 1) the rigor with which feds have tracked down Social Security and SSI overpayments — many to low-income disabled and elderly — with 2) government neglect in dealing with billions of $$$ of corporate fraud in Medicare:
Case 1: SSA
Social Security Turmoil As Overpayments Sent to 1 in 4 Recipients – Newsweek
Social Security recipients struggle to pay back agency after unexpected overpayments | 60 Minutes
Martin O’Malley: What to Know About Social Security’s New Commissioner – Kiplinger
After hearing O’Malley speak twice in last two weeks, it’s clear he’s taking a methodical and energetic approach to dealing with overpayment and other operational issues facing SSA.
Sen. Ron Wyden calls on Biden to fire Social Security’s top watchdog – WaPost
Case 2: HHS
U.S. investigates alleged Medicare fraud scheme estimated at $2 billion – msn/WaPost
“All seven companies had become accredited with Medicare, allowing them to bill the health insurance program, although in some cases the accreditation was linked to a person who said they no longer worked at the company and had sold it last year.
“‘We’ve just never seen anything like this nationally,” said Clif Gaus, CEO of NAACOS, who said his organizations first spotted and reported the billings to federal officials last fall. Gaus’s team estimates that Medicare was wrongly billed about $2 billion for the catheters in 2022 and 2023.
“Despite the relatively low reimbursement rates for each catheter — Medicare pays out about $8 per curved tip and sterile kit catheter — ample profits can be made when the products are ordered in bulk. The health department’s own watchdog warned that Medicare’s payment rates for the products were too high and should be lowered.”