Suozzi Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Crack Down on Health Care Fraud

September 10, 2026 Press Release Suozzi bill roots out waste, fraud, and abuse Washington, D.C. — Congressman Tom Suozzi (D-NY) today introduced the bipartisan Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Act with Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (R-NY) to strengthen the federal government’s efforts to combat waste, fraud, and abuse across government healthcare programs. The legislation would increase funding for the Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control Program (HCFAC), a joint agency program involving the Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Office of Inspector General (OIG), Department of Justice, and FBI. HCFAC coordinates federal, state, and local efforts to identify and prosecute health care fraud across programs including Medicare, Medicaid, and other government health care programs. “Taxpayers bear the cost of every dollar lost to fraud, ultimately making healthcare more expensive. If we want to lower healthcare costs, we need to start by going after waste, fraud, and abuse wherever it’s happening. HCFAC is a tremendously successful program helping us do just that,” said Congressman Suozzi. “Fighting fraud is not a partisan issue; it’s common sense. The Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Act is about protecting taxpayers, rooting out fraud, and helping keep health care costs down. I’m proud to introduce this important bill to protect taxpayers and the healthcare programs that so many patients depend on.” “Every dollar stolen through health care fraud is a dollar taken from taxpayers and the patients who depend on these programs,” said Congresswoman Tenney. “Fraudsters are becoming more sophisticated, and the federal government must have the tools and resources to find them, stop them, and hold them accountable. The Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Act strengthens the investigators and watchdogs on the front lines of this fight and improves oversight across federal health care programs. Protecting Medicare, Medicaid, and other critical programs from fraud will safeguard taxpayer dollars and help ensure these resources are there for the Americans who truly need them.” Every dollar lost to fraud costs not only the government, but trickles down to consumers through higher premiums and costs on other health care expenses. HCFAC is a highly effective federal program, returning $3 to taxpayers for every dollar spent. By increasing the funding for this successful and worthwhile program, this legislation fights fraud responsibly, by equipping federal agencies with additional resources to prevent fraudulent payments, hold bad actors accountable, lower costs for patients, and recover taxpayer dollars. Since 2010, the scope of HCFAC’s work has expanded significantly. Medicare and Medicaid spending has far outpaced inflation, enrollment has skyrocketed, and fraudsters have become savvier. The funding for HCFAC has not kept up. As a result, the network of agencies involved have had to police a broader and more complex system without adequate resources. To address this, the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Act would rebase HCFAC’s funding, raising it to $490,000,000 for FY2027, $520,000,000 for FY2028, $57,000,000 for FY2029, and ensuring it continues to increase commensurate with inflation in FY2030 and beyond. ###