Medicare's CMS: Hey You Guys, We're Losing $6.7 Billion Every Year Due to Fraud & Error But It Would Be Too Expensive To Fix It

Um, would it cost more than $6.7 billion per year to fix it?

Medicare spent $6.7 billion too much for office visits and other patient evaluations in 2010, according to a report from the inspector general of the Department of Health and Human Services.

But in its reply to the findings, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which runs Medicare, said it doesn't plan to review the billings of doctors who almost always charge for the most expensive visits because it isn't cost-effective to do so.

Six-point-seven billion per year, every year, and it's not cost-effective to give this a look-see?

The inspector general's report, released today, estimates that overpayments account for 21 percent of the $32.3 billion spent on evaluation and management services in 2010.

The government is runnin' lean and mean at a mere 21% loss due to fraud and error in an organization the left claims is actually working well.

Perhaps they have a point: Perhaps The System is doing precisely that which they desire it to do, extracting money from those outside the power-structure to shower it down upon those within it.

via Instapundit and the American Interest.

posted by Ace at 05:21 PM

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