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Press Releases
February 19, 1999
Contact: Moya Benoit Thompson or Chris Rhatigan 202-401-4541
Assistant Secretary for Aging to Participate in National Medicare Anti-Fraud and Abuse Outreach Campaign in Chicago
Jeanette C. Takamura, Assistant Secretary for Aging in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), will participate in a national kick-off of the consumer education campaign to fight Medicare fraud, "Who Pays? You Pay!"
This Administration is committed to containing rising health care costs by rooting out fraudulent claims and practices so that over the long term, older consumers and their family members will be better able to trust the health care delivery system to treat them appropriately and charge them fairly. Thousands of volunteer long-term care ombudsman, other aging services providers and retirees have been trained to recognize and report fraud and abuse, including problems in nursing homes and other long term care settings. in fiscal year 1997, the Administration’s anti-fraud and abuse efforts saved more than $7.5 billion, and, combined with the efforts of our law enforcement partners, returned another $1 billion to the Medicare trust fund.
This joint effort of the DHHS, Department of Justice and the American Association of Retired Persons will be broadcast on Wednesday February 24, 1999 in Washington, D.C. and 31 locations nationwide. DHHS Secretary, Donna E. Shalala, Attorney General Janet Reno, and AARP President Joe Perkins will rollout the program in Washington, D.C. in addition to the Administration on Aging activities in Chicago, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (formerly the Health Care Financing Administration) will participate in New York, N.Y. and the DHHS Office of the Inspector General will participate in Miami, FL.
Takamura will highlight the activities of a project funded by the Administration on Aging which has educated and informed thousands of older Chicago area residents about the role consumers have in preventing and combating health care waste, fraud and abuse. This community program, administered by the Suburban Area Agency on Aging in Oak Park, Illinois, works in collaboration with the Illinois Department of Aging, the Northeastern Area Agency on Aging, and the Chicago Department on Aging, to help people understand what they can do to protect themselves from health care fraud.
When: Wednesday, February 24, 1999; 11 a.m. - 1 p.m., Eastern Standard Time
Where: WTTW Channel 11 Studio; 5400 N. St. Louis Avenue; Chicago, Illinois
Telephone: 773-583-5000
Format: 1 hour of national/satellite introduction and 5 city interactive media question & answer session followed by 1 hour of local training
See also: Administration on Aging Anti-Fraud and Abuse Activities (http://www.aoa.gov/ort/)
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