Australia

Reports Medicare Waste and Corruption Called ‘Shocking’, Costing Up to $8 Billion a Year

userOctober 16, 2022
Reports Medicare Waste and Corruption Called ‘Shocking’, Costing Up to Billion a Year
The federal government has “brought caution to fraudsters” amid reports it’s costing the Medicare system up to $8 billion a year.
Ministers Bill Shorten and Tanya Plibersek Monday found that some practitioners are cheating the system by charging fees for services not provided, according to a joint Nine and ABC investigation. .

Government Services and NDIS Minister Bill Shorten said that while the “majority” of GPs did the right thing, the integrity of payments was an issue.

“Taxpayers are driven to despair when they think that some people are opportunistically corrupting the system,” he told Nine’s Today show on Monday.
“Scammers certainly leave their mark … Obviously, we need to make sure there is full trust in the system, but we also need to let the scammer know ‘you will get caught’.”
Former Health and Environment Minister Tanya Privasek told Seven’s Sunrise show that the report was “genuinely shocking”.
“Australians feel they protect Medicare, they want to keep Medicare and they like how our health system works, so we’re giving these people like a lot of bricks. You have to stand up, but it doesn’t work when people prey on it.

“Those who are swindling it have to face the full consequences of the law.”

Government Minister Tanya Plibersek says Australians feel they are protecting Medicare. sauce: AAP / Mick Tsikas

Research by ABC and Nine found that some doctors make money by charging deceased persons and falsifying patient medical records. Others were mistaken in their claims.

According to ABC, Medicare expert Margaret Fox estimates that waste and corruption cost the system up to $8 billion annually.

Reports Medicare Waste and Corruption Called ‘Shocking’, Costing Up to $8 Billion a Year

Source link Reports Medicare Waste and Corruption Called ‘Shocking’, Costing Up to $8 Billion a Year

userOctober 16, 2022
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