Florida Lawmakers Introduce Bipartisan Medicare Fraud Bill

Democrats and Republicans in the Florida state legislature have announced a bill aimed at fighting the $1 billion Medicare fraud problem, according to a report in the South Florida Business Journal.

Bill author Congressman Ron Klein (D-Boca Raton), along with Congresswoman Ilena Ros-Lehtinen (R-Miami), announced the bill in front of a group of senior citizens on April 13, according to the report.

The bill will double penalties for Medicare fraud, make it illegal to distribute Medicare beneficiary identification or billing privileges and enact new law enforcement tools to prevent fraud. Other actions include increased screening for companies who want to set up healthcare companies or bill Medicare and jail sentences for persons who provide Medicare information, even if they are not directly involved in fraud, according to the report.

Medicare fraud costs taxpayers $60 billion annually, and 20 percent of cases originate in South Florida, according to the report.

Read the Business Journal's report on Florida's Medicare fraud prevention bill.