The Media's Perspectives of Health Care Fraud and Abuse—An Objective Assessment: PDF OnlyThe Media's Perspectives of Health Care Fraud and Abuse—An Objective AssessmentFalen, Thomas J. MA1; Liberman, Aaron PhD2Author Information 1Instructor; Health Information Management 2Associate Professor & Interim Chair; Department of Health Professions; University of Central Florida; Orlando, Florida The Health Care Manager: March 2001 - Volume 19 - Issue 3 - p 51-57 Buy Abstract The media make it seem that greedy health care professionals are perpetrating a widespread conspiracy to defraud the Medicare trust fund of billions of taxpayer dollars. However, the media often underreport another side to the health care fraud and abuse issue—the flawed, inordinately complex, and ill-equipped Medicare payment system itself. It is difficult to quantify the purported loss of billions of dollars to fraud or estimate the costs to the U.S. health care system of the advocated increased controls. However, this discussion serves to divert attention from key health care issues—the many Americans who are uninsured, underinsured, or lack access to care and the system's administrative complexities. ©2001Aspen Publishers, Inc.
