If Gov. Beverly Perdue is right, and a stepped-up effort on the part of the state to uncover Medicaid fraud turns up "tens of millions" of dollars, that will be both a blessing and a bombshell. It will be good to recover money obtained by less-than-honest providers or patients, but a sad and maddening commentary on the lack of conscience in those who would abuse a system designed to help the poor get needed medical care.
Just think of it: people actually using a noble governmental program, one that is constantly strained for resources, to line their own pockets.
The governor announced last week an effort with IBM that will use that company's software to track Medicaid records in order to detect abuses. IBM will get 10 percent of fraud money that is recovered. There are indications the problem could be significant. In examining 2007 Medicaid records as part of testing its programs, the company came up with lots of questionable activity. One provider had billed Medicaid for 800 days work in one year, and in another case a bill was submitted for 45,000 "miscellaneous limbs," or prosthetic devices.
