Medicare HMOs: HCFA Could Promptly Reduce Excess Payments by Improving Accuracy of County Payment Rates

GAO discussed the rates Medicare pays health maintenance organizations (HMO) in its risk contract program, focusing on: (1) the Health Care Financing Administration's (HCFA) method for setting HMO rates; and (2) GAO's proposed modification of HCFA's HMO rate-setting method.