Medicaid Fraud Early Detection Act of 2013 Passes Senate

Act introduced by Senator Tim Knopp could save Oregon millions of dollars.

With Senator Tim Knopp’s leadership, the Oregon state senate unanimously voted to pass Medicaid Fraud Early Detection Act of 2013 (Senate Bill 753). Medicaid fraud has become a major issue for states nationwide, and recent advancements in new techniques to combat it could lead to the bill being named the sleeper bill of the 2013 legislative session. Medicaid Fraud Early Detection Act of 2013 could potentially save the State of Oregon millions of dollars each year with no cost to implement this element to the program. It extends the latest in fraud fighting technology to preventing fraud before it happens, by reducing both improper payments, cost, and time involved with traditional “pay and chase” recovery.

“Being good stewards of Oregonians taxpayer resources requires us to make many tough choices” Sen. Knopp states. “While many of these policy choices can regress into partisan arguments, few have the bipartisan appeal of fighting fraud. Being vigilant against those that would game and cheat the people of Oregon is a policy area that I take very personally and it is why I stand before you today.  Senate Bill 753 is an effort to bring the latest in fraud fighting technology to the state of Oregon.”

Annually, the federal government estimates that state Medicaid programs forfeits around $18 billion dollars that is attributed to fraud, waste and abuse. Additionally Medicaid is expanding its coverage increasing the likelihood that more criminals will take resources away from those who truly need help. A recent Washington Post outlines the expansion “In Oregon alone, Medicaid is expected to enroll 400,000 new patients by 2022, nearly doubling its current numbers, according to an Urban Institute analysis.”

Sen. Knopp was previously in the Legislature from 1999 to 2005 for three terms, including one as Oregon House Majority Leader, where he led the PERS Reforms of 2003 that saved taxpayers billions. He was appointed to the Education and Workforce Development and Health Care and Human Services committees for the 2013 Legislative Session. Tim was elected to his first term in the Oregon State Senate in November 2012. Senate District 27 encompasses the Central Oregon communities of Bend, Redmond, Sunriver, and Tumalo.