On Monday, Ranking Member of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, Senator Tom Coburn and Chairman of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Oversight, Representative Charles Boustany, Jr. sent a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary (HHS) Kathleen Sebelius inquiring about the status of HHS finances. This came after an independent audit conducted by Ernst & Young revealed discrepancies within HHS’ budgeting system.
In this letter, Coburn and Boustany have asked the Secretary to address where the missing money has gone, and how it disappeared so quickly. A few highlights of missing funds from the request are below:
- HHS and Treasury Accounts Differ by $500 Million — An Increase of $100 Million since September 2010
- $866 Million in Mystery Money — An Increase of More Than $250 Million since 2010
- $2 Billion in Taxpayer Dollars in Limbo Disappears in the 2011 Financial Audit
- $2.6 Billion Owed to Employer-based Retiree Prescription Drug Plans — An Increase of $700 Million since FY 2010
- $3.8 Billion Owed to CMS — An Increase of $2.2 Billion since FY 2010
As can clearly be seen, there are some huge discrepancies that HHS should be accountable for. We can all understand losing a few dollars here and there, but $2 billion completely disappearing? And what about the $2.2 billion increase in owed money to the HHS agency devoted to Medicare and Medicaid? It is only fair that Congress should ask how that increase occurred in one year.
The most frightening part about this request for information is that a similar letter was sent in 2010 asking the same questions and stressing concerns about the HHS budgetary flaws. Instead of addressing those concerns, it seems HHS has only increased its unaccounted-for spending.
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