White House Reports Billions of Improper Payments in 2009

White House reports billions of improper payments in 2009
By Tom Cohen | CNN

The federal government made $98 billion in improper payments in fiscal 2009, and President Obama will issue an executive order in coming days to combat the problem, his budget director announced Tuesday.

The 2009 total for improper payments -- from outright fraud to misdirected reimbursements due to factors such as an illegible doctor's signature -- was a 37.5 percent increase over the $72 billion in 2008, according to figures provided by Peter Orszag, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget....

In total, Orszag listed 99 agencies and programs that received $1.98 trillion in 2009, with $98 billion of the money -- or 5 percent -- in improper payments.

Some of the larger figures for improper payments were:

• $24 billion for Medicare fee-for service, out of a total of $308 billion
• $18 billion for Medicaid health care for the poor, out of a total of $188 billion
• $12 billion for Medicaid Advantage, out of a total of $77 billion
• $12 billion for unemployment insurance, out of a total of $119 billion
• $12 billion for the Earned Income Tax Credit, out of a total of $48 billion Read more.