GOP Elevates Medicaid, ACA Fraud Claims Ahead of Midterms
Heading into the midterm elections, Republicans are amplifying fraud claims in Medicaid and the ACA to counter voter anger over healthcare costs, while Democrats argue the administration is using weak evidence to target blue states and justify cuts to safety-net programs. The Trump administration has charged hundreds of people in alleged billing schemes, audited state Medicaid fraud units, withheld billions in federal Medicaid payments over oversight concerns, and canceled ACA enrollments for 760,000 people CMS says were improperly enrolled. CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz cited low utilization rates and missing Social Security numbers as evidence of fraud, a conclusion Democrats and some health policy analysts dispute. A KFF poll finds 44% of voters, and 54% of Republicans, see program fraud as an extremely important campaign issue, suggesting the messaging may be resonating with the GOP base despite Democrats' traditional advantage on healthcare.