Protecting the Evergreen State: Washington Senate Introduces Medicaid False Claims Act

A Bill currently pending before the Washington State Senate would enact a Medicaid False Claims Act to protect against false claims made to the Washington State Medicaid Program.  Senate Bill Number 5458 would, like the federal False Claims Act, encourage private whistleblowers (known as qui tam “relators”) to step forward and file a lawsuit against those who submit false claims for payment to the Washington State Medicaid Program.  Senate Bill 5458 is patterned after the federal False Claims Act, which has been used by the federal government to recover more than $27 Billion in taxpayer funds since 1986.  If Senate Bill 5458 is signed into law, Washington would become the 29th State in the United States with its own State False Claims Act.

To read the text of Senate Bill 5458 see: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/documents/billdocs/2011-12/Pdf/Bills/Senate%20Bills/5458-S2.pdf