Dear Editor,
Today, I read that our retired and current retired state employees are faced with an increase in the cost of their health benefit programs. In the same paper, the elimination in vital programs in our children’s education curriculum are required due to budget deficits. Teachers, law enforcement personnel and other public government employees are being furloughed or their positions eliminated because our reduced resources mandate these actions.
Prevention of Medicare fraud
The list of reduced service for Georgia citizens could be expanded to the cuts made in the Hope Scholarship Program and the future of our state park system is rumored to be under review for additional cost saving if some or all of our parks are closed to tax payer usage.
The budget issue can be corrected and we can regain the services that have been removed from us by the efforts of our elected officials to eliminate the budget deficit as required by law. The proactive approach to this problem is to concentrate on THE PREVENTION OF MEDICAID FRAUD AND ABUSE.
The taxpayers of Georgia will spend approximately TWO BILLION DOLLARS every year in funding our share of the health program known as MEDICAID. These are our tax dollars and do not include the additional FIVE BILLION DOLLARS that are supplemented to the State of Georgia by the federal government. The federal General Accounting Office (GAO) offers a conservative estimate that 10 percent of those dollars are paid for fraudulent services or for non-existence services. Our Georgia tax dollars that could be saved with cost saving procedures in place would result in $200 MILLION DOLLARS THAT COULD BE USED TO OFF-SET DOLLARS IN OUR BUDGET DEFICIT.
Our legislators and co-sponsor, Senator William Ligon, have introduced Senate Bill 63 as a proactive procedure to prevent Medicaid fraud and save our tax dollars for what they were intended to do and that is to provide goods and services for our Georgia citizens. SB 63 requires that all Medicaid cards integrate a computer chip that will include a digital photograph and fingerprints of the cardholder. This use of smart card technology prevents such abuse as card sharing and phantom billing, in addition, smart card technology uses a multifactor authentication that ensures Medicaid patients receive the care they need while protecting their privacy.
When a Medicaid patient swipes their card, the doctor’s office can verify that patient’s identity using the digital photograph and fingerprint. Patients will provide fingerprint scan when they enter the office and before they leave, providing proof that the patient received services and it will also prevent doctors from billing for services never rendered.
A pilot program will first be bid out to multiple vendors and implemented by the Department of Community Health. All participating medical providers will utilize a smart card reader and a fingerprint scanner. The pilot program will be conducted in a multi-county area and the success of the program will determine the timing of a statewide roll out of the program.
Your support in getting SB 63 passed by our elected officials is very important! Please call your representative or senator and ask him to support the proactive way to prevent Medicaid fraud and save our tax dollars for our citizens. Call today and ask your elected official that represents your interests and pass the bill to prevent Medicaid fraud...Senate Bill 63.
Jerry Alderman,
Blackshear
The budget issue can be corrected and we can regain the services that have been removed from us by the efforts of our elected officials to eliminate the budget deficit as required by law. The proactive approach to this problem is to concentrate on THE PREVENTION OF MEDICAID FRAUD AND ABUSE.
The taxpayers of Georgia will spend approximately TWO BILLION DOLLARS every year in funding our share of the health program known as MEDICAID. These are our tax dollars and do not include the additional FIVE BILLION DOLLARS that are supplemented to the State of Georgia by the federal government. The federal General Accounting Office (GAO) offers a conservative estimate that 10 percent of those dollars are paid for fraudulent services or for non-existence services. Our Georgia tax dollars that could be saved with cost saving procedures in place would result in $200 MILLION DOLLARS THAT COULD BE USED TO OFF-SET DOLLARS IN OUR BUDGET DEFICIT.
Our legislators and co-sponsor, Senator William Ligon, have introduced Senate Bill 63 as a proactive procedure to prevent Medicaid fraud and save our tax dollars for what they were intended to do and that is to provide goods and services for our Georgia citizens. SB 63 requires that all Medicaid cards integrate a computer chip that will include a digital photograph and fingerprints of the cardholder. This use of smart card technology prevents such abuse as card sharing and phantom billing, in addition, smart card technology uses a multifactor authentication that ensures Medicaid patients receive the care they need while protecting their privacy.
When a Medicaid patient swipes their card, the doctor’s office can verify that patient’s identity using the digital photograph and fingerprint. Patients will provide fingerprint scan when they enter the office and before they leave, providing proof that the patient received services and it will also prevent doctors from billing for services never rendered.
A pilot program will first be bid out to multiple vendors and implemented by the Department of Community Health. All participating medical providers will utilize a smart card reader and a fingerprint scanner. The pilot program will be conducted in a multi-county area and the success of the program will determine the timing of a statewide roll out of the program.
Your support in getting SB 63 passed by our elected officials is very important! Please call your representative or senator and ask him to support the proactive way to prevent Medicaid fraud and save our tax dollars for our citizens. Call today and ask your elected official that represents your interests and pass the bill to prevent Medicaid fraud...Senate Bill 63.
Jerry Alderman,
Blackshear
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