State of Illinois Creates Health Care Fraud Elimination Task Force Made Up of Top State Officials

from a Press Release on April 5, 2016

Governor Creates Health Care Fraud Elimination Task Force
Executive Order 16-05 will help root out waste, fraud and abuse in taxpayer-funded health

SPRINGFIELD – Governor Bruce Rauner announced today he signed Executive Order 16-05 creating the Health Care Fraud Elimination Task Force. The Task Force will take a holistic and comprehensive approach in the prevention and elimination of health care fraud, waste and abuse in taxpayer-funded programs. Governor Rauner made today’s announcement at the Annual Ethics Officer Conference, hosted by the Executive Ethics Commission.   “Reducing fraud and waste is critical in state government to ensure we are delivering the best value to consumers and taxpayers,” Governor Rauner said. “For the first time, we are bringing program-specific and agency efforts together to collaborate and take a multi-pronged approach to preventing and eliminating fraud, waste, and abuse.”   The Task Force will study and utilize the best practices of these agency fraud prevention units, the efforts of the federal government and other state governments, and those in the private sector to root out fraud, waste, and abuse.   The costs of state-administered health care programs are driven up when abuse of the system goes unchecked. Annually, Illinois spends more than $19 billion on state-administered Medicaid programs and the State Employee Group Health Insurance Programs.   The Executive Inspector General Maggie Hickey will serve as Chairman of the Task Force, which will be made up of the following representatives: Deputy Governor Chief Compliance Officer Special Counsel and Policy Advisor to the Governor for Healthcare and Human Services Inspector General for the Department of Healthcare and Family Services Director of the State Police Medicaid Fraud Control Unit Director of the Department on Aging Director of the Department of Central Management Services Director of the Department of Healthcare and Family Services Secretary of the Department of the Human Services Secretary of the Department of Innovation and Technology Director of the Department of Insurance   Today’s action is another step Governor Rauner has taken to ensure the most ethical and transparent Administration in state history. During the Governor’s first week in office, he signed Executive Order 15-09 to strengthen ethical standards for the Executive Branch. He also signed Executive Order 16-04 to update and strengthen the Executive Branch’s internal investigation system.   http://www3.illinois.gov/PressReleases/PressReleasesListShow.cfm?RecNum=13551 # We will update info on the work and what will be included in the work of the task force. Illinois is long over due for reform of fraudulent behavior of some in Health Care.