Fraud still plagues Medicare drug program, watchdog finds

Fraud and abuse continue to dog Medicare's popular prescription drug program despite a bevy of initiatives launched to prevent them, according to two new reports by the inspector general of Health and Human Services. The release follows the arrests of 44 pharmacy owners, doctors and others, who last week were accused of bilking the program, known as Part D. The reports issued Tuesday provide more insight into the extent of the fraud, as well as steps federal regulators should take to stop it. The first, which covers data from last year, found: More than 1,400 pharmacies had questionable billing practices last year in the drug program.