Delaware Congressional Delegation Announces Grant Award to Help Combat Medicare Waste, Fraud and Abuse

WILMINGTON – Today, Sens. Tom Carper and Chris Coons, and Rep. John Carney (all D-Del.) announced a grant to help combat waste, fraud and abuse in the Medicare system. The Department of Health and Social Services has awarded $50,000 to the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services for the Delaware Partners of the Senior Medicare Patrol Project.

The Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) is a national organization that enlists retired senior citizens to serve as volunteers to provide information and help other Medicare beneficiaries seek appropriate courses of action when they suspect fraud, waste or abuse of the Medicare program. This year, the Delaware Partners of the Senior Medicare Patrol has held more than 100 one-on-one counseling sessions and more than 45 group sessions across the state of Delaware to help seniors who have suspected waste, fraud, abuse and problems with their Medicare billing.

“This grant will allow the Delaware Partners of the Senior Medicare Patrol to continue their important work of empowering seniors to fight fraud when it comes to their health care,” said Sen. Carper. “Through the help of staff and volunteers, seniors up and down the state of Delaware are learning how to look for waste, fraud and abuse in the Medicare bills, and how to report it. These are small victories in the big battle to control health care costs in our country.”

“The Delaware Partners of the Senior Medicare Patrol is a wonderful example of an effective program that is helping to control rising health care costs by protecting some of our most vulnerable citizens from waste, fraud and abuse,” Sen. Coons said. “I am proud to continue supporting this project which has already proven successful in each of Delaware’s three counties. We have an obligation to support and protect our senior citizens from waste, fraud and abuse, and this volunteer program is accomplishing that.”

“Healthcare costs are rising at an unsustainable rate. Eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse from the system is a critical first step to containing those costs while ensuring that Americans have access to quality care,” said Congressman Carney. “The Delaware Partners of the Senior Medicare Patrol are a valuable resource to ending unnecessary Medicare spending, and I’m glad that this grant will allow their work to continue throughout the state.”

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