Pennsylvania Needs a False Claims Act to Fight Fraud

In an excellent op-ed piece written for the Lehigh Valley’s Morning Call, David Williams of Kline & Specter describes why Pennsylvania needs a False Claims Act to combat fraud against the state.  Citing a 2005 study by the Pennsylvania attorney general’s office, Williams notes that fraudulent activities have consumed more than ten percent of Pennsylvania’s healthcare costs.  This $1.7 billion lost in Medicaid fraud alone could be reduced if Pennsylvania enacted a strong False Claims Act. The federal False Claims Act has been shown to recover $15 for every $1 invested in healthcare enforcement activities and more than $28 billion has been recovered through the federal False Claims Act.  Additionally, more than $7 billion has been recovered under the 27 state False Claims Acts.

To read the full article see: http://articles.mcall.com/2011-11-29/opinion/mc-false-claims-act-williams-yv–20111129_1_medicaid-fraud-federal-law-amendments