Thank you
Sen. Collins
To the editor:
On behalf of AARP’s 230,000 members in Maine, I am writing to thank Sen. Susan Collins for signing on as a
co-sponsor to the Preventing and Reducing Improper Medicare and Medicaid Expenditures (PRIME) Act.
Medicare fraud and abuse is undermining the health of seniors and costing taxpayers an estimated $60-$90 billion every year. The PRIME Act would combat fraud by cracking down on identity theft, improving systems for tracking fraudulent billing, and punishing billing errors and overpayments. Last year, the Medicare fee-for-service program made almost $30 billion in improper payments, an 8.5 percent error rate. For decades, Medicare has operated under a system that pays providers first and investigates suspicious claims later. The PRIME Act would require that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services more closely track the overpayments and implement solutions to address them such as closing loopholes, stopping patterns of double billing, and other steps.
The PRIME Act is bipartisan legislation which will make significant inroads in the efforts to strengthen Medicare through responsible, sustainable solutions. Senator Collins should be commended for signing on to this important and timely legislation.
Lori Parham
AARP Maine state director
Portland
