American Association for Homecare Supports President Obama in His Commitment to Stop Waste, Fraud and Abuse i...( American Association for Homecare &am...),Health

American Association for Homecare & Members Urge Congress to Adopt the Medicare Anti-Fraud Legislative Action Plan

ARLINGTON, Va., Feb. 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In his first address to a joint session of Congress, President Barack Obama declared that his administration would "root out the waste, fraud and abuse in our Medicare program that doesn't make our seniors any healthier." The American Association for Homecare and its members applaud this goal and have developed a legislative solution specifically designed to help solve this growing problem.

Earlier this month, the American Association for Homecare presented the "Medicare Anti-Fraud Legislative Action Plan" to members of Congress. The 13-point legislative action plan, developed by the Association, outlines tough, effective measures that would eliminate most of the Medicare fraud attributed to the home medical equipment sector (HME). The HME sector provides oxygen therapy, wheel chairs, diabetic supplies and other equipment and services to seniors and people with disabilities. It is the most cost-effective and slowest-growing portion of Medicare spending, increasing only 0.75 percent per year according to the most recent federal data.

"We support and commend President Obama for addressing this critical issue," said Tyler J. Wilson, president of the American Association for Homecare. "Fraud in the HME sector is only a small portion of total Medicare losses to fraud, but by any yardstick, it is an unacceptable waste of taxpayers' dollars and theft of resources that should go to the elderly and disabled. The American Association for Homecare and its members are eager to work with President Obama, Congress and CMS to take tough new steps to prevent fraud and abuse in the Medicare homecare sector, and we are confident that this legislative action plan will provide an effective solution," said Wilson.

The targeted, proactive l
'/>"/>