Va. leads in fighting Medicaid fraud

Va. leads in fighting Medicaid fraud

As a Roanoke native who represents a Northern Virginia legislative district in the Virginia House of Delegates and spends as much time as possible in Roanoke with my parents, I read with interest the commentary by Brian Gottstein, director of communications in the Office of the Attorney General (“Story misleads on efforts to stop Medicaid fraud,” Sept. 4).

I am neither an attorney nor a Medicaid expert, but I know one thing: As one of 30 legislators from across the country on the governing body of the nonpartisan National Conference of State Legislatures, I interact with a significant number of state legislators. I am consistently asked by my colleagues in legislatures across America — Democrats, Republicans and independents — about the effectiveness of Virginia’s Medicaid fraud unit.

Over the last four years, Virginia has earned a national reputation for excellence in aggressively pursuing Medicaid fraud. Other states look to Virginia as a leader in combatting fraud in an area that is the fastest-growing segment of state budgets in the U.S. The Office of the Attorney General deserves credit for its initiatives over the last four years in ensuring the poorest among us get the best possible Medicaid services they need and deserve.

RICH ANDERSON
Delegate
51st House District
WOODBRIDGE

Humanitarian aid likely would do U.S. more good

If we are to strike Syria in the “interest of our national security,” as President Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry state, would it not be best if it is in the form of humanitarian aid to those afflicted by this terrible conflict, rather than adding more destruction and collateral human loss through missiles? Maybe even our presumed enemies would take notice.

DICK SAACKE
BLACKSBURG

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