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The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has Been a Poor Steward of Federal Medicaid Dollars
Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
Abstract
This Majority Staff report, led by Chairman Ron Johnson of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, scrutinizes Medicaid’s integrity and rising costs since February 2017. It emphasizes the failure of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to address waste, fraud, and abuse, despite receiving recommendations from the Government Accountability Office (GAO). The report identifies over 1,100 individuals involved in fraudulent schemes targeting Medicaid for prescription opioids and asserts urgent congressional action is needed to reform healthcare and ensure responsible use of taxpayer funds. Recommendations include reducing annual overpayments, holding states accountable for fraud, and implementing structural reforms to address Medicaid’s role in the opioid epidemic. Collaboration between the CMS and government watchdogs is crucial for effective fraud prevention. Additionally, revising healthcare provider taxes and transitioning Medicaid funding to a block grant mechanism are proposed to curb federal spending.
Date
2018-06-20
Document Type
Senate Majority Staff Report
Serial Number
Document Length
24 pages
Congress
115
Relation
DOI
Keywords
Staff Reports
PAP Major Code
20: Government Operations
PAP Minor Code
2002: Government Efficiency, General Regulatory Policy and Bureaucratic Oversight
Related Hearings
• House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Subcommittee on Government Operations, and Subcommittee on Intergovernmental Affairs, joint hearing on "Improper Payments in State-Administered Programs: Medicaid," 115th Cong., H.Hrg. 115-106, (2018, April 12)
• Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, hearing on "Unintended Consequences: Medicaid and the Opioid Epidemic," 115th Cong., S.Hrg. 115-441, (2018, January 17)
• House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Health, hearing on "Examining Medicaid and CHIP's Federal Medical Assistance Percentage," 114th Cong., H.Hrg. 114-115, (2016, February 10)
• Senate Committee on Finance, hearing on "Nomination of Seema Verma," 115th Cong., S.Hrg. 115-233, (2017, February 16)
• Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, hearing on "Unintended Consequences: Medicaid and the Opioid Epidemic," 115th Cong., S.Hrg. 115-441, (2018, January 17)
• House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Health, hearing on "Examining Medicaid and CHIP's Federal Medical Assistance Percentage," 114th Cong., H.Hrg. 114-115, (2016, February 10)
• Senate Committee on Finance, hearing on "Nomination of Seema Verma," 115th Cong., S.Hrg. 115-233, (2017, February 16)