Billions wasted: improper Medicare spending.

• Author: Suderman, Peter
• Position: Citings - Brief article

THE FEDERAL government spent $509 billion on Medicare payments in 2010, nearly one-tenth of which was improper, according to a March report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO).

Medicare, a federal health insurance program for seniors, is already on an "unsustainable" long-run path, according to the GAO report. In 2010, it says, the system shelled out an estimated $48 billion in payments that were fraudulent or otherwise "improper," and those in charge of the program aren't doing nearly enough to avoid making similar mistakes in the future. The $48 billion figure is lower than the flail total, because it does not include improper payments under Medicare Part D, which covers prescription drugs. An estimate for that part of the program had not been calculated yet when the report was issued.

This is not the first time the GAO has...