Nearly $70B in Wrongful Payments Made to MA Plans

The federal government has made nearly $70 billion in wrongful payments to Medicare Advantage programs, primarily because of overbillings made between 2008 and 2013, according to a report released Wednesday by the Center for Public Integrity. CPI analysts said the cost of some MA plans were 25% greater than the cost of regular Medicare coverage in more than 200 counties and the widest variances in prices were recorded in Arkansas, Colorado, New Mexico, South Dakota and Texas.

• "Investigation: Feds Overpaid $70B to Medicare Advantage" (Al-Faruque, The Hill, 6/4).