HHS budget proposal prioritizes fraud fighting

Though President Barack Obama's proposed budget for fiscal 2015 would cut overall federal spending for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the administration wants to devote more resources to anti-fraud work, JDSupra Business Advisor reported. The proposed budget includes a $105 million funding hike for the Office of Inspector General and another $25 million to pursue cases where people lie about income or citizenship to qualify for Affordable Care Act subsidies. Other program integrity measures include expanding Medicare preauthorization, imposing civil monetary penalties on providers who don't update enrollment records, extending government program exclusions to associates of sanctioned entities and heightening scrutiny of providers who receive Medicare reimbursement through "higher-risk banking arrangements." Article