Vance says administration is pausing some Medicaid funding to Minnesota because of fraud concerns
Every delay has consequences.
In a statement between Vance and Dr. Mehmet Oz, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator, plans were announced to pause $259.5 million in federal Medicaid funding to Minnesota, citing concerns over fraud following earlier allegations at a Somali care center. Oz claims the actions are directed at failures of Minnesota state leaders rather than Minnesotans, with Trump claiming during SOTU that “pirates” have “ransacked Minnesota."
The funds will be withheld until Minnesota submits and implements a corrective action plan within 60 days. A six-month moratorium on new Medicare enrollments for certain medical equipment suppliers, incl. those assisting with injury recovery and chronic diseases, will also be imposed. Oz states that the admin will also launch a crowdsourcing effort for public tips on fraud. CMS said that if Minnesota fails to satisfy its requirements, it may defer up to $1 billion in federal funds over the next year, while the state warned that those cuts would add up to more than $2 billion.
Minnesota officials denounced the move, with Walz describing it as weaponizing the federal government to punish "blue states" and warned of devastating impacts on vulnerable groups. Attorney general Ellison criticized the "Cut first and ask later" approach, stating that his office has already obtained over 300 Medicaid fraud convictions since he took office in 2019. He urged the state legislature to provide additional staff and new legal tools to fight Medicaid fraud, but will sue if the federal government unlawfully withholds money meant for 1.2 million low-income Minnesotans on Medicaid.
The decision follows prior tensions, including the earlier immigration crackdown in Minnesota that resulted in deaths and injuries, and threats of blocks on similar federal funding to several Democratic states over alleged improper benefits to non-citizens.
Would this stand as yet another example of politically motivated retribution by this administration, and would temporarily cutting medicaid for low income Americans of actually be effective in reducing fraud? What would be a better approach to address medicaid fraud issues without holding up a sledgehammer?
Edited to amend/add some info.
Every delay has consequences.
In a statement between Vance and Dr. Mehmet Oz, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator, plans were announced to pause $259.5 million in federal Medicaid funding to Minnesota, citing concerns over fraud following earlier allegations at a Somali care center. Oz claims the actions are directed at failures of Minnesota state leaders rather than Minnesotans, with Trump claiming during SOTU that “pirates” have “ransacked Minnesota."
The funds will be withheld until Minnesota submits and implements a corrective action plan within 60 days. A six-month moratorium on new Medicare enrollments for certain medical equipment suppliers, incl. those assisting with injury recovery and chronic diseases, will also be imposed. Oz states that the admin will also launch a crowdsourcing effort for public tips on fraud. CMS said that if Minnesota fails to satisfy its requirements, it may defer up to $1 billion in federal funds over the next year, while the state warned that those cuts would add up to more than $2 billion.
Minnesota officials denounced the move, with Walz describing it as weaponizing the federal government to punish "blue states" and warned of devastating impacts on vulnerable groups. Attorney general Ellison criticized the "Cut first and ask later" approach, stating that his office has already obtained over 300 Medicaid fraud convictions since he took office in 2019. He urged the state legislature to provide additional staff and new legal tools to fight Medicaid fraud, but will sue if the federal government unlawfully withholds money meant for 1.2 million low-income Minnesotans on Medicaid.
The decision follows prior tensions, including the earlier immigration crackdown in Minnesota that resulted in deaths and injuries, and threats of blocks on similar federal funding to several Democratic states over alleged improper benefits to non-citizens.
Would this stand as yet another example of politically motivated retribution by this administration, and would temporarily cutting medicaid for low income Americans of actually be effective in reducing fraud? What would be a better approach to address medicaid fraud issues without holding up a sledgehammer?
Edited to amend/add some info.
Vance says administration is pausing some Medicaid funding to Minnesota because of fraud concerns
Every delay has consequences.
In a statement between Vance and Dr. Mehmet Oz, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator, plans were announced to pause $259.5 million in federal Medicaid funding to Minnesota, citing concerns over fraud following earlier allegations at a Somali care center. Oz claims the actions are directed at failures of Minnesota state leaders rather than Minnesotans, with Trump claiming during SOTU that “pirates” have “ransacked Minnesota."
The funds will be withheld until Minnesota submits and implements a corrective action plan within 60 days. A six-month moratorium on new Medicare enrollments for certain medical equipment suppliers, incl. those assisting with injury recovery and chronic diseases, will also be imposed. Oz states that the admin will also launch a crowdsourcing effort for public tips on fraud. CMS said that if Minnesota fails to satisfy its requirements, it may defer up to $1 billion in federal funds over the next year, while the state warned that those cuts would add up to more than $2 billion.
Minnesota officials denounced the move, with Walz describing it as weaponizing the federal government to punish "blue states" and warned of devastating impacts on vulnerable groups. Attorney general Ellison criticized the "Cut first and ask later" approach, stating that his office has already obtained over 300 Medicaid fraud convictions since he took office in 2019. He urged the state legislature to provide additional staff and new legal tools to fight Medicaid fraud, but will sue if the federal government unlawfully withholds money meant for 1.2 million low-income Minnesotans on Medicaid.
The decision follows prior tensions, including the earlier immigration crackdown in Minnesota that resulted in deaths and injuries, and threats of blocks on similar federal funding to several Democratic states over alleged improper benefits to non-citizens.
Would this stand as yet another example of politically motivated retribution by this administration, and would temporarily cutting medicaid for low income Americans of actually be effective in reducing fraud? What would be a better approach to address medicaid fraud issues without holding up a sledgehammer?
Edited to amend/add some info.
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