The CAT Act of 2024 aims to improve how Medicare handles payment suspensions when investigating fraud allegations against healthcare providers. Currently, the government can suspend Medicare payments for up to a year during fraud investigations with limited transparency or provider input, which Congress finds can harm legitimate providers and reduce patient access to care. The bill requires the government to notify providers at least 30 days before suspending payments, explain the specific fraud allegations and their basis, and provide updates every 30 days during the suspension. It also limits most investigations to 180 days unless the government provides good cause for extension, and requires the government to immediately resume payments and pay interest if transparency requirements are not met. Additionally, the legislation directs the government to establish an independent appeals process within 180 days and submit annual reports to Congress detailing the number of suspensions, their duration, and investigation outcomes.
Take Action
Your position
Add a comment
to comment on this bill.
Annotate the text
Highlight any passage on the Summary or Full Text tab to attach a note. Annotations appear on the Annotations tab.