WASHINGTON (AP) -- Nearly three years into the Medicare drug benefit, federal officials have yet to ensure that private drug plans enacted programs to deter fraud and abuse, government investigators say.About 24 million people are enrolled in Medicare drug plans subsidized by the federal government. The plans are required to develop programs to stem improper spending, but the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has not conducted audits to ensure those programs were up and running properly. That lack of oversight "risks significant misuse of funds in this $39 billion program," the Government Accountability Office said in a report to be publicly released Monday.
To get a better handle on that risk, the GAO looked at whether five unnamed insurance plans met requirements for participation in the drug benefit. For example, the companies must have effective training programs for workers that address pertinent laws and discuss common fraudulent schemes. Only two companies fully met that requirement.
The results were better for some of the other requirements. All five companies were in compliance with having written standards for detecting and preventing waste and abuse.
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