New Report On Medicaid Fraud

A new report says the government's widespread attempts to catch Medicaid fraud have cost it millions — $80 million to be exact. The audits by contractors were so ineffective that Health and Human Services put a stop to them. Investigators at the Government Accountability Office said the auditors were using federal data without critical information, like Medicaid recipients' names and addresses. The federal government does not share names of potential fraudsters with states, which means states cannot verify that those providers are in fact in their Medicaid programs. HHS said the independent audits were just a part of their attempts to wipe out Medicaid fraud. Other efforts, like interagency strike teams, have been more successful. The news came as a surprise to senators, who held a hearing on the issue yesterday