The Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, and Attorney General Eric Holder, revealed a new public-private partnership to crack down on health care fraud yesterday. The partnership will include insurance industry giants like United Health Group, Amerigroup Corporation and Blue Cross Blue Shield, as well as the industry lobby, American’s Health Insurance Plans, government law enforcement agencies, the Department of Justice, and state and private fraud control units.
Health care fraud costs the U.S. approximately $60 billion a year, according to an article by the Associated Press.
The partnership will rely predominantly on sharing and analyzing data to reveal patterns that might indicate fraud. Trying to uncover healthcare fraud through data analysis is worthwhile, but the government should keep in mind that whistleblowers have been the most effective way to find billions that have been lost to Medicare and Medicaid fraud.
July 29, 2012