Paying millions, to not find billions

[clover]

Contractors paid tens of millions of taxpayer dollars to detect fraudulent Medicare claims are using inaccurate and inconsistent data that makes it extremely difficult to catch bogus bills submitted by crooks, according to an inspector general's report released Monday.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/11/14/problems-persist-with-medicare-fraud-contractors/?test=latestnews#ixzz1dgog50pI

[ragman]

Is that news to anyone?    Just about every if not every government program is riddled with waste and fraud.  Just about every fix for this waste and fraud is a joke.  If you begin with that premise you'll be correct about 99% of the time.     In the nongovernmental business world these numbers are inverted (or at least nearly so) yet some how this administration can only blame business.   

[clover]

Investigators found that one contractor referred only two cases of potential fraud to CMS between 2005 and 2008;

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/11/14/problems-persist-with-medicare-fraud-contractors/?test=latestnews#ixzz1dgv1Pc7a

This administration wasn't present between 2005-2008.   You need to shake off the partisan BS.........structure effects function!

[ragman]

Mike, my point was that:

yet some how this administration can only blame business.

  Of this crap goes on in every administration.  Start firing and filing charges where waranted against the regulators.  Make them do their job.  Good luck     Upper management will find another rat hole in government employ and the workers will be back in a short time with full pay, thank you public service unions.   

[clover]

You're so busy attempting to blame unions and government workers you missed what they're talking about.

These contractors are independent small businesses hired by the government to find waste.  THEY'RE PRIVATE BUSINESSES.....NOT THE UNION...NOT THE GOVERNMENT.

This is part of that "privatize" government, GOP plans that don't work because the GOP didn't give them the tools to do their job, nor did they pass any liability to them for not doing their job.....................this is government waste....that now spans both administration..............that was the point

[ragman]

In a typical case the government hires a contractor and then what?  No supervision or the contractor immediately starts romancing anyone who is supposed to be watching them with free meals and more. That is if and I mean if they person watching even shows up.  I've seen it many times.  As a matter of fact I was in the middle of a conflict when I refused to back down after the government agency whose man was having dinner every day with the contractor and God knows what else, tried to berate me in front of everyone when I informed the city that the contract was not preformed correctly and as a matter of fact was illegal as installed.  He made a big mistake because I cared and I was not backing down.  It ended very costly for the contractor and quite embarrassing for the agency.  I have to admit there was one person a head of a large city housing association who was doing his job.  He was the one who saw what was going on and even though it was State money he called me in.  I heard he left city government employ a year later.  Private enterprise valued him more I guess or the frustration was more than he could take. The agency gave the contract out and was supposed to be responsible for the contractor living up to the contract.  But once awarded the agency had its’ reputation on the line and “their” man had to be protected because politically it would not look good for them.   



The bottom line is that very few government workers really care.  There are NO consequences to their actions.  If their job is to watch over or regulate well that might actually involve some work or knowledge of what they are suppose to be doing. If a private business hired someone to watch over the construction of a building or to audit a process and he didn't do his job he would be GONE!  Everyone knows when you deal with the government this is not likely to happen. 


So Ok, the "Point" is that a private company hired to audit fraud with Medicare did not do their job for how many years?  And who got fired?  And what contract was cancelled? And what company or individuals can no longer do business with the government because of their failure to deliver?  Don't bother I already know the answer.  The government workers in collaboration with these companies allowed the fraud to take place.  Business as usual.     So my “Point” is ----- are you ready----- SMALLER GOVERNMENT = LESS SCREWED UP.   

[clover]

I guess I read thing differently than you

The same issues were identified 10 years ago by inspector general investigators, and dozens of reports in the past decade also have found problems. In 2001, acting Inspector General Michael Mangano testified that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) wasn't doing a good job of holding contractors accountable.

If the same issues were identified 10 years ago that means they were probably built into the legislation 15 years ago.  I don't care which party was in charge...it's obvious that these private contractors are paid to do nothing except draw a check...............and contribute to campaigns.................that's what I read