Tom Harkin: “I have been for years working on the waste, fraud, and abuse situation, particularly as it pertains to the Medicare…”

“I have been for years working on the waste, fraud, and abuse situation, particularly as it pertains to the Medicare Program. I have asked for and obtained over the last several years many investigations by the GAO and by the Inspector General's Office of HHS. Quite frankly, Mr. President, what they have come up with is just startling. Again, every day that we put off attacking this problem and making the necessary changes is a day that wastes, literally, hundreds of millions of dollars in waste, fraud, and abuse, money that is going out and not coming back, money of our taxpayers that is being wasted. How extensive is this, Mr. President? The General Accounting Office and others have estimated that up to 10 percent of health care expenditures in Medicare is lost every year to fraud, waste, and abuse. Well, 10 percent of what? Medicare this year is spending about $180 billion. So 10 percent of that is $18 billion. GAO has said about up to that much is being lost every year.”