To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to increase funding for the Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control Account.

119th Congress Introduced by Jodey Arrington and 5 co-sponsors

The bill would raise funding for the Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control Account to boost Medicare anti-fraud investigations and enforcement.

Introduced in House

Summary of HR 9811 (119th Congress)

Purpose and intent

The bill aims to amend Title XVIII of the Social Security Act to increase funding for the Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control (HCFAC) Account.

The overarching goal is to strengthen federal efforts to detect, deter, and prosecute health care fraud and abuse, improving program integrity within Medicare and related programs.

Key provisions and changes

Funding increase: The bill would raise the funding level for the Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control Account. While the exact dollar amount is not specified in the provided summary, the primary change is to expand resources allocated to HCFAC to support enforcement activities.

Alignment with Title XVIII: Provisions are designed to work within the Medicare program, as administered under Title XVIII, ensuring coordination with existing anti-fraud and abuse measures.

Administrative and enforcement emphasis: By boosting funding, the bill implicitly supports expanded activities such as investigations, data analytics, coordination with other agencies, and potential enhancements to recovery of improper payments.

Who or what would be affected

Federal health care fraud enforcement activities under Medicare (Title XVIII) would receive increased funding.

Agencies and offices involved in HCFAC, including the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) components and related law enforcement partners, would likely see expanded capacity to investigate and prosecute fraud.

Medicare beneficiaries could potentially benefit from reduced improper payments and more effective fraud deterrence as a result of stronger enforcement.

Procedural and timeline aspects

Introduction and referral: HR 9811 was introduced in the House and referred to the Committee on Ways and Means and, in addition, to the Committee on Energy and Commerce for consideration of provisions within their jurisdictions.

Consideration timeline: The referral indicates a potential period to be determined by the Speaker for each committee to report or consider the bill.

Sponsorship: The bill has multiple co-sponsors, signaling cross-cutting support among House members, including Jodey Arrington, Glenn Grothman, Mike Carey, Jay Obernolte, Lloyd Smucker, and Blake Moore.

Notes and context

The bill focuses specifically on funding rather than broad policy reforms. Its effectiveness will depend on the appropriations process and how the increased funding is allocated and administered.

As introduced, the bill does not outline detailed programmatic changes beyond enhanced funding for HCFAC, but it may enable more robust anti-fraud activities within Medicare.

If you’d like, I can incorporate the bill’s exact statutory language or compare its funding proposal to current HCFAC appropriations and related baseline levels.