Medicare and Medicaid Fraud and Abuse Amendments of 1979

Medicare and Medicaid Fraud and Abuse Amendments of 1979 - Title I: Civil Monetary Penalties for Medicare and Medicaid Fraud - Amends Part A (General Provisions) of title XI of the Social Security Act to impose an additional civil penalty of not more than $2,000 for each offense on any provider of services under titles XVIII (Medicare) or XIX (Medicaid) of such Act who presents a claim for a medical or other item or service knowing that such item or service: (1) was not provided; (2) was provided in violation of Federal or State law; or (3) was provided in violation of an agreement between such provider and the United States or a State. States that such provider shall also be subject to an assessment of not more than twice the amount claimed for each such item or service in lieu of damage sustained by the United States or a State because of such claim. Authorizes the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare to: (1) enter into an agreement with any person against whom such a penalty has been assessed whereby such person will consent not to claim payment under titles XVIII or XIX for a period of time not to exceed two years; and (2) prohibit payments under titles XVIII or XIX to any provider against whom a penalty has been assessed during a period of not more than two years from the date upon which the penalty was imposed. Title II: Other Provisions - Stipulates that limitations on funding for State Medicaid fraud control units shall be calculated on an annual, rather than quarterly, basis. Directs the Secretary to exclude from participation in the Medicaid or Medicare programs a physician or other health care professional convicted of a criminal offense related to such individual's participation in such programs. Requires any entity providing services under a Medicaid plan to disclose certain information relating to the ownership of such entity. Authorizes the Secretary to reduce Federal payments to Medicaid providers from whom the Secretary has been unable to recover Medicaid overpayments.

Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in Senate" stage on August 2, 1979. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.

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