Foreign Medical Program Integrity and Improvement Act

Key Points

• This bill changes how the VA pays for medical care for veterans living or traveling outside the United States. It limits payments to the same rates Medicare pays in the U.S. unless a higher payment is needed for an emergency or to make sure a veteran can get care.
• The VA would be banned from paying for medical services for people who have died. It also stops payments to doctors or hospitals that are listed as deceased in official government records to prevent identity theft and billing errors.
• If the VA suspects a claim is fake or wasteful, they can stop payment while they investigate. If the investigation finds fraud, the VA will deny the claim and try to get back any money that was already paid out.
• The VA will create a list of doctors and hospitals that have submitted fake claims. Veterans in the program will receive electronic updates so they know which providers are banned from the program.
• A new Fraud Detection and Prevention Coordinator will be hired to oversee these rules. The VA can also hire a private company to help manage these medical claims and set up new computer systems to track them within one year.

Impact Analysis

Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.