Roskam Medicare plan gets moving
A proposal from U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam aimed at curbing Medicare fraud is set to make it to the House floor this week.
The Wheaton Republican's plan could, among other things, raise the cash rewards seniors can claim if they report a doctor who is abusing the Medicare system. It would also try to make sure seniors know they can be rewarded for spotting abuse of the system and better tie together state and national data on fraud in order to try to prevent it from occuring.
Roskam's Medicare plan, which is being grafted with a more sweeping proposal, is set to be approved by a House committee this week. He said it's important to focus Medicare money on health care and "not lining the pockets of crooks.
"Every year that passes without addressing rampant Medicare fraud costs taxpayers billions and depletes the quality of this critical program for the American seniors who depend upon it for their healthcare," Roskam said.
The broader plan would make changes like removing Social Security numbers from seniors' Medicare cards.