A subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee has approved a fiscal year 2015 spending bill for the Department of Health and Human Services. The legislation includes $672 million for the Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control Program at CMS, more than twice the fiscal year 2014 funding level. According to the appropriations committee, $8.10 is recovered by the Treasury for every $1 spent on fraud and abuse prevention. Therefore, the increased funding is expected to generate more than $5.4 billion in savings.
If the bill is passed, with a budget that more than double the prior year budget, CMS will likely become even more aggressive in auditing and enforcement actions.
For more information, read the full bill summary here.