AP NewsBreak: Competition cuts down Medicare fraud

[n2doc]

Source: SF Chronicle/AP

By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR, Associated Press

Wednesday, April 18, 2012


(04-18) 07:48 PDT WASHINGTON, (AP) --

Medicare officials say competitive bidding for power wheelchairs, diabetic supplies and other personal medical equipment is clamping down big-time on waste and fraud. The savings last year — some $200 million.

A government report coming out Wednesday says a nine-city experiment with competitive bidding generated few complaints from people receiving Medicare benefits — just 151 complaints from a total population of 2.3 million Medicare recipients in test areas, including Miami, Cincinnati and Riverside, Calif.

Officials say the experiment will expand to 100 cities next year, and eventually the whole country.

The shift to competitive bidding has been strongly opposed by the medical supply industry, which raised the specter of medical rationing. But the report says there's no evidence so far of shortages or harm to those in Medicare.



Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2012/04/18/national/w074845D58.DTL&tsp=1

[no_hypocrisy]

1. Like competition in drug prices may cut down fraud with pharmaceutical companies dealing

with Medicare D?

[cbayer]

4. The biggest problem here, imo, is patents.

[guyfromla]

2. Medicare D

Socialism at work, my friends. I wish they would do the same with medicare part D.

[AnnaLee]

3. I guess my question would be:

So, if the neurologist prescribed a special walker for a Parkinson's patient, would "competition" be on walkers designed for the special needs of Parkinson's patients or would the bids go out to competition including cheap walkers for temporary needs?

[cbayer]

5. This industry, which is fraught with abuse and fraud, fought this tooth and nail.

I am very glad to see that this program is working so far.