House Approves Stark Legislation to Enhance Medicare Fraud Authorities
On September 23, 2010, the House of Representatives approved H.R. 6130, the Strengthening Medicare Anti-Fraud Measures Act. The legislation, which was introduced by Reps. Pete Stark and Wally Herger, Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee, would allow the OIG to exclude certain corporate executives from doing business with Medicare if their companies were convicted of fraud after the executive has left the company. The bill also would allow the OIG to exclude parent companies that commit fraud through “shell” companies. The legislation is still awaiting Senate action.
