Bill Requiring Electronic Payment for Medicare

From the inbox:

Today, Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Rep. Mike Arcuri (D-NY, 24th District), and Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-PA, 8th District) announced their introduction of the IMPROVE (Improving Medicare and Medicaid Policy for Reimbursements through Oversight and Efficiency) Act.

This bipartisan legislation eliminates fraud in the health care system and protects taxpayer dollars by requiring that Medicare and Medicaid reimburse their providers and suppliers via electronic deposit at a bank or credit union. Medicare fraud drains $60 billion in taxpayer money every year; lax verification and identification requirements at check cashing stores make it easy for scammers to commit fraud and disappear without a trace. The IMPROVE Act closes this check-cashing laundering loophole.

“I’m proud to join my colleagues in introducing a bipartisan bill that cracks down on the fraud and abuse in our health care system, wasting billions of taxpayer dollars and draining our government’s resources,” said Rep. Murphy. “Every dollar we lose to fraud is a dollar lost for tax cuts for middle-class families.”

"As a former District Attorney, I am very pleased to join with my colleagues Congressman Murphy and Senator Klobuchar to promote valuable legislation to end the fraud and predatory practices in our Medicare system," Rep. Arcuri said. "I will continue to fight for these changes that will help address the fundamental issue of rising costs facing our health care system and lead to better quality care for everyone."

“As a former prosecutor, I saw firsthand how crooks cheated the health care system and stole money that should have been used to provide care for those who need it most – our seniors and most vulnerable citizens,” said Sen. Klobuchar. “This legislation can save taxpayer dollars as well as the valuable time and resources of our law enforcement officials.”

“America’s 39,000 prosecutors need this legislation,” said Scott Burns, Executive Director of the National District Attorney’s Associate. “The IMPROVE Act is an important tool in the fight to crack down on fraud and recover taxpayer dollars.”

The IMPROVE Act has been endorsed by the AARP, the National District Attorneys Association, the Credit Union National Association, and the American Bankers Association.