Medicaid fraud – Dr. Mehmet Oz says the Trump administration is escalating anti-fraud scrutiny in five states, pressing governors to revalidate Medicaid providers.
Medicaid fraud is back on the federal enforcement agenda, with Dr. Mehmet Oz saying the Trump administration is homing in on specific states as part of a broader crackdown.
In remarks relayed by Misryoum. Oz told that CMS has sent letters to Minnesota. California and New York. and flagged Florida and Maine for additional review.. The focus. he said. is on tightening oversight around services that have been linked to fraud. waste and abuse. while the administration’s message to states is that the scrutiny will not stay limited to a short list.
For states, the significance is simple: Medicaid is run largely at the state level, but funded with federal dollars, so enforcement pressure from Washington can quickly reshape how providers are vetted and monitored.
Misryoum reports that Oz’s push follows intensified federal activity after Minnesota’s “Feeding Our Future” scheme drew national attention and prompted the administration to demand stronger anti-fraud enforcement.. Oz also described attention to specific service categories and provider networks. including durable medical equipment suppliers. where officials have raised concerns about billing practices and uneven oversight.
The strategy also includes a broader effort led by a vice president’s task force aimed at durable medical equipment. prosthetics. orthotics and supplies.. In Misryoum’s reporting context. the task force has pointed to steps such as a nationwide moratorium while it identifies suppliers for further review.
This matters because durable medical equipment and related billing issues can be difficult for families to understand in real time, and enforcement often turns into a test of whether oversight systems catch problems before payments are made.
Oz further linked the crackdown to hospice and other care settings. describing actions taken in areas where authorities identified patterns they considered inconsistent.. He also argued that some fraud schemes may involve actors operating across state lines. including foreign influence concerns that. if substantiated. can raise enforcement stakes and complicate investigations.
In a separate track of federal pressure. Oz said CMS is requiring governors to respond on how they will conduct “revalidation” of high-risk Medicaid providers.. Misryoum reports that states were given deadlines in April to outline how they would quickly double-check whether providers are authorized and delivering covered services as required. along with additional time for wider revalidation efforts.
As the clock runs on state compliance plans. the political and administrative challenge for governors will be balancing speed with due process. while facing the reality that noncompliance can trigger federal audits and enforcement.. In this context. the administration’s anti-fraud campaign is as much about changing state behavior as it is about pursuing individual cases.