WASHINGTON, D.C. – House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) today issued the following statement regarding House passage of H.R. 3716, the Ensuring Access to Quality Medicaid Providers Act:
“If a healthcare company is found guilty of defrauding taxpayers in the Medicaid program in one state, they’re not supposed to be able to participate in Medicaid in any other state. And yet, that’s actually going on. There are nearly 300 providers still receiving taxpayer dollars in Medicaid programs, who have already been found guilty of defrauding taxpayers in other states. Whether it’s double-billing, phantom billing, and in some cases even billing for more than 24 hours in a day, these fraudulent practices ultimately lead to millions and millions of dollars of waste and fraud in the Medicaid program.
“Today we passed a bill by Dr. Larry Buschon to protect taxpayers by stopping this practice. This common sense bill strengthens Medicaid and reduces waste by eliminating payments to fraudulent providers. The Republican-led House will continue our efforts to reduce waste, fraud and abuse, increase accountability, and help protect taxpayers, while preserving this safety net for the most vulnerable in our communities.”