Missouri Senate Interim Committee on Medicaid Transformation and Reform

Here's the ICMTR's charge:

http://www.senate.mo.gov/MedicaidTransformation/simr-charge.htm

It is interesting to see the reduction of fraud and abuse first and foremost in the ICMTR's charge.  There is much that can be done on this.

Missouri, for instance, does not allow whistleblowers to file qui tam (private attorney general proceedings) proceedings under the state false claims act — robbing the state statute of the strongest potential enforcement mechanism it might have in lean prosecutorial budgetary times. The statute's hostility to qui tam standing also renders  Missouri ineligible for important cooperative cases and recoupment with the federal government, because the state statute does not meet the stringency standards for such bonuses.

This one has been kicking around for some time. Missouri attempted to enact a buttressed  false claims act in 2011.  H.B. 374 included a qui tam provision and an anti-retaliation provision, and mirrored the language of the FCA.The bill did not pass before the legislature adjourned that session.

I wonder if fiscal watchdogs will line up to support another attempt at Missouri false claims act reform.