Despite the major drive by enforcement authorities in the past few years, a recent survey by AARP indicates that 80 percent of Americans are unaware of any efforts to combat health care fraud. Of those who are aware, nearly one-third believe that such efforts have had no effect. Consumers do, however, believe that something can be done to reduce fraud and are eager to join in this fight themselves. In the survey, nearly 85 percent said they would be more inclined to report health care fraud if they only knew more about it. Interestingly, though, the survey showed that offering a reward or monetary incentive would do little to increase the likelihood that consumers would report suspected fraudulent behavior.
Consumers believe reporting fraud is their personal responsibility.
The public also believes that reducing fraud and abuse will increase the quality of their care and lower their costs, and that more can and should be done to reduce fraud in the health care system. Yet they remain cynical about the government's ability to fight it. The most positive findings in the survey pertain to the strong and nearly universal willingness of individuals to take personal responsibility for doing something themselves about health care fraud, as I tried to do in my mother's situation. AARP is taking the information learned in this survey and crafting an education campaign to build on the positive attitudes that were revealed and to dispel the myths and misperceptions about health care fraud. AARP does not see itself as acting alone in designing and implementing such a campaign.