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providers as they would have access to protected info on claims of many beneficiaries and could file more easily.Congress has made contractors immune from any criminal liabilities and internal audits.Often, govt contractors are subsidiaries of international conglomerates and our nation and tax monies are unprotected when thefts and abuses occur. The general counsel for Medicare has researched this, along with the justice dept. False Claims and Civil rights seem to be the only legal vehicles available. Appeals often go unheeded inside the contractors who have been given the authority for the first two levels The Miami Medicare hearing office is the subject of complaints of missing files from a multitude of attorneys and other appellants as a 'contractor' prepares the files and filings are not even logged in on arrival. Several of mine are now missing that had to be appealed as the  Independent Reconsideration Contractor has no legal authority to rule on the issues involved. Wisconsin Physicians doesn't even have someone to process a reconsideration for Oklahoma appeals.And won't even respond to the intitial appeals that were filed in 2007. When appeals do proceed upward, their is reluctance to provide the claims processing file as it reflects the wrong doings of the contractor who has violated the terms of contracts to uphold the laws  and constitution.