    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1999, Book I)]
    [February 24, 1999]
    [Pages 255-256]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Statement on Fighting Medicare Fraud
    February 24, 1999

        I am pleased to join the Department of Health and Human Services,
    the Department of Justice, and the AARP in launching the new ``Who Pays?
    You Pay'' campaign, a new initiative to combat fraud and abuse in the
    Medicare program.
        This new campaign is another step towards ending the fraudulent
    practices that rob taxpayers and threaten the future of the Medicare
    Trust Fund. Today we are partnering with beneficiaries to teach them how
    to detect Medicare

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    fraud. We have worked with, and we will continue to work with, those in
    the provider community who are equally committed to eliminating health
    care fraud.
        We have a long-standing commitment to crack down on fraud, waste,
    and abuse, and I am proud to say that since 1993, the administration's
    efforts have saved taxpayers more than $38 billion, with health care
    fraud convictions increasing by more than 240 percent. The partnership
    between providers, the law enforcement community, and beneficiaries
    created by this initiative is a critical step towards ending waste,
    fraud, and abuse in the Medicare program. Physicians, nurses, hospitals,
    and nursing homes know that it is in everyone's best interest to weed
    out the bad-apple providers who threaten our ability to provide high-
    quality and affordable health care for older Americans.
        I congratulate Secretary Shalala,
    Attorney General Reno, and the AARP for their
    commitment to preserve the Medicare program and ensure the provision of
    high-quality, affordable health care to our senior citizens.