John Chenoweth: “today the New York Times ran a very interesting article but a very sad article. It is entitled ``U.S. Overpaid $2.3…”

“today the New York Times ran a very interesting article but a very sad article. It is entitled ``U.S. Overpaid $2.3 Billion Last Year'' in Medicare and it reads: ``In the first comprehensive audit of Medicare, Federal investigators said Wednesday that the government overpaid hospitals, doctors and other health care providers last year by $23 billion, or 14 percent of all of the money spent in the standard Medicare program. ``The books and records of the Medicare agency and its contractors were in such disarray that they could not be thoroughly audited,'' said the inspector general. She said that there was no way to tell how much money of the overpayment resulted from fraud. Mr. Speaker, I think the buck stops with the President on this issue. I think before we get into the next cycle, I think the President absolutely must pay attention to this fraud and abuse in Medicare.”