WASHINGTON, DC – Whistleblowers are an important part of the enforcement effort to uncover and stop Medicaid fraud, Claire M. Sylvia, a whistleblower attorney with Phillips & Cohen LLP, said at congressional hearing today.
The joint hearing, “Is Government Adequately Protecting Taxpayers from Medicaid Fraud,” was held by the Subcommittee on Health Care, District of Columbia, Census and the National Archives and the Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs, Stimulus Oversight and Government Spending of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
Sylvia was invited to testify as part of a panel that included Medicaid fraud whistleblowers from New York City, Texas and Minnesota. Her testimony focused on the effectiveness of federal and state qui tam (“whistleblower”) laws both to stop Medicaid fraud and act as a deterrent.
In response to a question, Sylvia recommended that more states adopt false claims laws with “qui tam” (whistleblower) provisions modeled after the U.S. False Claims Act.
Sylvia is the author of a leading treatise used by lawyers and judges, “The False Claims Act: Fraud Against the Government.” Her most recent whistleblower case settlement involved a defense contractor, which paid $37 million to settle the matter.
For more information about Phillips & Cohen’s record, see P&C’s Successful Whistleblower Cases.