Claire McCaskill

I would like the accountability metrics on that, too.

Why can we not include e-mails and text messages and all of those? Is this over-hyper legal counsel?

I really believe a zero tolerance would have a wonderful deterrent effect.

Do you know where--this is Mrs. Pariseau?

They cannot say that you have a gross problem with improper payments and then you not know anything about it.

Thank you very much. You indicated in your opening statement that half of your company's revenues are Medicare?

I believe these witnesses today can provide important insights about both the operations of their industry and the oversight and performance of the government.

I really think we have to do whatever is necessary.

I found out the hard way in this Committee that when I first talked to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) about how many employers had gone to jail for knowingly hiring undocumented immigrants, they had no idea.

It does not do any good for us to have all this in place if you have these kind of numbers in terms of money going out the door.

You have probably got money stashed no telling where, and we are going to take $5 million from you and you are going to walk away.

It turned out they could not. They did not do it cheaper. It was more expensive, not less expensive.

Where is the system that measures the fraud, then? That is what I am interested in.

When can you quit paying them?

This is like a bureaucratic dance if it does not mean anything.

As soon as we have a credible allegation.

That is like me seeing a penny over there and saying, boy, I picked it up. Pay me for it.

Well, then why do we have it? What is the point if we are not going to get the money back?

This is a big problem.

But, Dr. Budetti, my point is that they are--some doctors are signing 400, 500 of these at once...

I agree with you, and I do think the competitive bidding program is going to save our country a lot of money.

I guarantee you, my mom, if somebody called and said they were Med-Care, she would assume that it was Medicare.

Senator McCaskill. Thank you all for your testimony.

Thank you, Mr. Wilson. Ms. Stanley.

The Federal Government has the right to demand standards and to demand accountability.