Jul. 08, 2020
HARRISBURG – Yesterday, the House passed Rep. Aaron Kaufer’s (R-Luzerne)
House Bill 2350 by a vote of 164-37. This legislation is part of a crucial Medicaid Fraud Reform bill package aimed at strengthening requirements for Medicaid providers, ensuring taxpayer funds are being used responsibly, providing stronger system oversight and making proper adjustments to the Medicaid system to increase its usefulness and reliability.
Kaufer’s bill would establish a requirement for providers in the Medical Assistance (MA) program who do not currently have a National Provider Identifier (NPI) through the federal government to obtain and register for a State Provider Identifier (SPI) through the Department of Human Services (DHS) in order to be reimbursed for providing services.
“Many Pennsylvanians rely on Medicaid in order to get the care they and their families need to maintain their health and well-being,” said Kaufer. “Those who commit Medicaid fraud don’t just hurt the system, but those who depend on it most. The reform bills we put forward are necessary to repair our flawed system, restore the trust of dependents, and bring forth a new beginning to this program as we move to put in place stronger fraud penalties and increased program oversight.”
More information on House Bill 2350 can be found at the following link here.
The package of bills is the direct result of a grand jury report on fraud in Pennsylvania’s Medical Assistance Program, also known as Medicaid, released by Attorney General Josh Shapiro’s office and a report released late last year by the House Government Oversight Committee.
“As one of the top eight Medicaid spending states, Pennsylvania is the only one without a False Claims Act, which means we cannot comprehensively combat Medicaid fraud and recoup money lost,” Attorney General Josh Shapiro said. “A state False Claims Act and the reforms recommended by the grand jury that are being put forth today offer a dynamic, multi-faceted approach to fixing these problems.”
For additional information on the other bills within the package here.
Kaufer’s legislation joins the other Medicaid bills as they will now be considered by the Senate.
Representative Aaron Kaufer
120th Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Abby Krueger
717.260.6617
akrueger@pahousegop.com
RepKaufer.com /
Facebook.com/RepKaufer