Vote Recommendation | Economic Freedom | Property Rights | Personal Responsibility | Limited Government | Individual Liberty |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vote No; Amend | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | Negative | Neutral |
Summary: CSSB 1803 would significantly change the way the Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (OIG) investigates and reports cases of Medicaid fraud.
Analysis: The House Committee Substitute of SB 1803 would strip the OIG of its ability to go after Medicaid fraud. This would leave Texas taxpayers footing the bill for potentially hundreds of millions of dollars in Medicaid fraud. The OIG performs an essential function in preventing Medicaid waste, fraud, and abuse. The OIG reported more than half a billion dollars in Medicaid fraud in 2012; this legislation would jeopardize the agency’s ability to prevent that fraud in the future. It would be detrimental to transparency, accountability, and the fiduciary duty of government to ensure that taxpayer dollars are used wisely. We oppose this legislation.
Amendment Recommendation: The House should amend this legislation with the Senate's Engrossed version. If an amendment is adopted replacing the House Committee Substitute with the Senate Engrossed version, we would support the bill.