Watchdog Report Reveals Hundreds of Millions in Improper Medicaid Payments to Deceased Individuals
A watchdog report reveals over $207.5 million in improper Medicaid payments to deceased enrollees. New laws and data sharing with the Death Master File aim to enhance accuracy.
Overview
A watchdog report revealed over $207.5 million in improper Medicaid payments to deceased enrollees from July 2021 to July 2022, the first national analysis of this issue.
HHS audits have identified $289 million in improper Medicaid payments to deceased enrollees since 2016, a persistent problem that experts like Sanchez have researched for a decade.
New legislation mandates Medicaid agencies to audit beneficiary lists quarterly against the Full Death Master File starting in 2027, aiming to halt payments to deceased individuals.
The Treasury Department recovered over $31 million in erroneous federal payments to deceased individuals through a 2021 pilot program, demonstrating the Full Death Master File's effectiveness.
Challenges persist with the Full Death Master File, including restricted access due to privacy laws and unusual SSA updates, complicating its effective use for payment recovery.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources subtly frame this story by highlighting the new law addressing Medicaid payments to deceased individuals while concluding with a specific past action by the Trump administration. This editorial choice, detailing the classification of immigrants as dead, links the broader issue of data integrity and "unusual updates" to the Death Master File with a past political controversy, subtly influencing the perception of government data management.