Golden Fleece to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

The Golden Fleece Award

ARRA News Service: Congressman French Hill (R-AR) named the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services as the latest winner of the Golden Fleece Award for making what appears to be an estimated nearly $1 billion in improper payments to Qualified Health Plan issuers for enrollees that were either ineligible or did not have the proper documentation.

“At a time when healthcare costs are skyrocketing and our nation is over $20 trillion in debt, it is essential that our federal agencies act as good stewards of taxpayers’ dollars,” said Hill. “This lack of oversight and accountability is unacceptable, and action must be taken immediately because hardworking Arkansans and Americans deserve better.”

In the letter to the Administrator of Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Seema Verma, Congressman Hill wrote:The Honorable Seema Verma
Administrator
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
7500 Security Blvd
Baltimore, MD 21244-1849

Dear Administrator Verma:

I write today to inform you that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is this month’s recipient of my Golden Fleece Award for making what appears to be nearly $1 billion in improper payments.

An audit released by the Office of the Inspector General this month found that in 2014 CMS authorized an estimated $434.4 million in payments to Qualified Health Plan issuers for enrollees who were not eligible for these payments and a further $504.89 million in improper financial assistance payments for enrollees without the proper documentation.[1] At a time when healthcare costs are skyrocketing and our nation is over $20 trillion in debt, it is essential that our federal agencies act as good stewards of taxpayers’ dollars.

I am committed to ensuring effective practices at our Nation’s federal agencies. Should you require any additional authority from Congress to address these concerns, I urge you to notify us as soon as possible. I thank you for your consideration and look forward to working with you to address this important issue.

Sincerely,

French Hill
Member of CongresszAbout the Golden Fleece Award
Every year, Congress appropriates trillions of dollars to fund the federal government, and every year the federal government wastes portions of these funds in unconscionable ways. As a Member of Congress, and as a taxpayer, this frustrates me to no end. In an attempt to increase accountability for every single government program, Congressman Hill decided to bring back the Golden Fleece Award.

Originally introduced by Democratic U.S. Senator from Wisconsin William Proxmire in March 1975, the Golden Fleece Award was a monthly bulletin on the most frivolous and wasteful uses of hardworking taxpayers’ dollars. The Golden Fleece Award became a staple in the U.S. Senate during this time, and Senator Robert Byrd once stated that the awards were “as much a part of the Senate as quorum calls and filibusters.”

In reviving this idea, the Golden Fleece Award will again have the opportunity to serve as an important reminder to taxpayers about the need for necessary, commonsense reforms to our federal spending.

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Tags: Congressman,  French Hill, R-AR, awards, August, 2018, Golden Fleece Award, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, $1 billion, improper payments To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service and "Like" Facebook Page - Thanks!