Staff Writer
WESLACO, Texas - Medicare and Medicaid have been good to the Rio Grande Valley, for patients and businesses, but now it appears the jig may be up. The federal government is shutting down the cash spigot. Abusers of the system are now on notice.
New enforcement efforts indicate the government recovered $2.5 billion in overpayments for the Medicare trust fund last year. it comes after the Obama administration decided to focus attention on fraud enforcement efforts in the health care industry.
Here, in the mid-valley, owners and operators of health care clinics and services have begun to feel the pinch. "I'm looking over my records twice," said one clinic manager. "Jail is a distinct possibility, is what they're telling us."
The Rio Grande Valley is dotted with enterprises geared toward helping the poor and elderly. Medical clinics and hospitals have blossomed like wild mushrooms in the many citties and towns that straddle U.S. 83.
"We've been living high on the hog," said another provider. "You might say we're on the clock now..."
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