Political Quotes

“This morning, my good friend and Florida colleague Congressman Ron Klein and I held a press conference at the Little Havana Activity and Nutrition Center where we unveiled our bipartisan anti-Medicare fraud bill. Medicare fraud is a problem that hurts our most vulnerable citizens. Our South Florida community knows firsthand the hardship that it creates. In 2008, approximately $703 million in false Medicare claims originated from South Florida. Last year, that figure rose to $952 million from South Florida. Our community needs to say in no uncertain terms that fraud and abuse in Medicare will not be tolerated and that our seniors will not be preyed upon by opportunistic vandals. That is why Congressman Ron Klein and I filed the Medicare Fraud Enforcement and Prevention Act. This legislation will help curb the fraud in the Medicare system. It will not only toughen the penalties on those individuals who engage in fraud but it will also help implement new screening procedures and biometric checks for all Medicare claims and services. Medicare fraud is not isolated to cases that involve rogue individuals. Unfortunately, the reality is that more and more Medicare fraud is being perpetrated by groups that are organized and are sophisticated in their technique. This bipartisan bill will help catch up existing rules and regulations with the reality of today's threats. Fraud and abuse costs the Medicare system billions of dollars each year.”