Naples, FL—This week, Sen. Ron Johnson and Rep. James Comer sent a letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure on Medicaid improper payment oversight. The Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA) applauds Sen. Johnson and Rep. Comer’s efforts to increase transparency and integrity in the Medicaid program.
Over time, Medicaid has transformed from a program for the truly needy into a massive welfare program for millions of able-bodied adults. As Medicaid has grown, so has its mismanagement. More than one in five dollars spent on Medicaid is improper, with the error rate in some states reaching as high as nearly 50 percent. Virtually all of these improper payments are due to eligibility errors, administrative oversights, or outright fraud.
The Medicaid policies in the Families First Coronavirus Relief Act (FFCRA) made these program integrity issues even worse, handcuffing states from removing ineligible enrollees from the program so long as they accept additional COVID-19 relief funding. These handcuffs have kept 17 million ineligible enrollees on the program, costing taxpayers billions of dollars and crowding out resources for the truly needy.
CMS should be forthcoming and accountable to Congress and the taxpayers regarding how they measure, oversee, and execute measuring improper payments.
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The Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA) is a non-profit, multi-state think tank that promotes public policy solutions to create opportunities for every American to experience the American Dream. To learn more, visit TheFGA.org.
