June 25, 2009 - 11:06am
News

Christie testifies that DPAs helped save an industry

WASHINGTON - Deferred prosecution agreements for medical implant companies have saved thousands of jobs, kept important devices on the market and have forced companies to pay money back to consumers and the federal government, Republican gubernatorial nominee Chris Christie argued in his opening statement before a House subcommittee.

Indictments of the companies, Christie said, would have had inexorable repercussions for an industry that employs 47,000 people and relies on Medicare for the majority of its payments.  A conviction would bar them from participating in the program, he said, potentially dealing a death blow to a significant portion of the industry.

“Those lateral consequences, in my view, were something that absolutely had to be avoided,” he said.  

Christie said that all companies who entered into the agreements approved of their monitors.

“It was made clear to our office that they had the opportunity to object, and if they did we’d choose another monitor,” he said.

Christie also noted that no public money was given to the companies, contradicting a comment made earlier by the subcommittee’s chairman, U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.).

Matt Friedman is a PolitickerNJ.com Reporter and can be reached via email at matt@politicsnj.com.

Related topics: Christopher Christie