Owlett Medicaid Reform Bill Earns Committee Approval

January 13, 2021

HARRISBURG – Working to prevent waste, fraud and abuse within the state’s Medicaid system, Rep. Clint Owlett (R-Tioga/Bradford/Potter) is pleased to report his reform bill received unanimous approval Wednesday by the House State Government Committee.

House Bill 108 creates a “do-not-pay” initiative at the state level that is modeled after a federal program designed to monitor and ultimately prevent improper payments.

“Fraud prevention should always be a priority, but especially during these challenging economic times, we need to make sure every taxpayer dollar is spent fairly and wisely,” Owlett said. “We need to be proactive about stopping bad actors from gaming the system. Not only do they cheat the taxpayers, but they also take resources away from people who truly need them.”

He pointed to a similar program in the state of Oregon where that saved the state $286 for every $1 it spent after enacting the do-not-pay law.

Under the bill, the governor’s budget office would oversee the program, requiring all relevant agencies to participate within two years. Agencies would be required to submit annual reports on the initiative to the secretary of the Budget, the inspector general, the auditor general, the General Assembly and the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee.

The bill also requires that any agency expending federal funds must enter into a memorandum of understanding with the United States Treasury to participate in the initiative.

A similar bill passed unanimously in the House last session but was not taken up by the Senate before the session ended Nov. 30.

Representative Clint Owlett
68th District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Patricia Hippler
717.772.9846
phippler@pahousegop.com
RepOwlett.com / Facebook.com/RepOwlett