Dingell: We Can Protect Medicare By Improving Secondary Payer Regimes

Statement

Today, Congressman John D. Dingell (D-MI15) issued the following statement at the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations hearing on "Protecting Medicare with Improvements to the Secondary Payer Regime":

"Thank you Mr. Chairman for holding today's hearing. It is clear from the witnesses before us today that more must be done to ensure the Medicare Secondary Payer Program is working efficiently and effectively toward securing reimbursement for the Medicare program, while also being cognizant of the needs of the beneficiaries and their attorneys.

"It is critical that we use today as an opportunity to explore the root of the problems in MSP collection practices -- whether it is contracting issues, funding issues, personnel issues, or caseload issues. It is also clear that we must use today and the time moving forward to truly gather the data behind the problems. Each of the witnesses on the second panel offer a compelling story of troubles that beneficiaries or their employers have had in their interactions with the MSP process, but I think what is lacking is spot on data collection. It is my hope that today's questioning and my colleague Congressman Pete Stark's GAO request will be able to reveal such data today and moving forward.

"I would remind my colleagues that the need to collect reimbursement for our Medicare program is a vital tool to helping to maintain the solvency of Medicare. In fiscal year (FY) 2010 the MSP program was able to return $413 million to the Medicare Trust Funds. Since FY2008 the MSP process has collected an average rate of return on recoveries of $9.32 for each dollar spent. These successes should serve as a strong example of the work CMS is doing to root out waste, fraud, abuse or improper payments in our Medicare programs. While it is clear that there is much more to do, I do not believe Chairman Ryan's proposal to end Medicare as we know it will do anything to alleviate the issue of waste, fraud, abuse or improper payments in our health system.

"I look forward to working with my colleagues and CMS to improve the MSP program so that beneficiaries and their attorneys can access their settlements in a timely and transparent manner, and to ensure that the MSP process is able to fully collect the payments owed to Medicare. Thank you."

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