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  • Timeline of Fraud Against Medicaid in Minnesota

    In early January 2026, the CMS Administrator, Dr. Mehmet Oz, announced a compliance action imposing large financial penalties on Minnesota ($515 million per quarter going forward), asserting that the state had failed to protect its Medicaid program against fraud. The following month, Vice President J.D. Vance, joined by Dr. Oz, announced a deferral of $259…

  • CMS Weaponizes Fraud Against Medicaid in Minnesota: Part 2

    At a White House press conference last Wednesday, Vice President J.D. Vance, newly tasked with leading a war on fraud, announced that “we have decided to temporarily halt” $259 million in federal matching payments to the state of Minnesota due to fraud against its  Medicaid program.  He emphasized: “…we don’t want to do this. We…

  • Fact-Checking Dr Oz’ Claims About Rural Health Investments

    CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz makes two statements in this short video that are not correct: Rural areas and small towns need assistance with health care affordability, quality and accessibility. The Rural Health Transformation Fund, despite its origin as a political maneuver to enable passage of the 2025 federal budget reconciliation law (HR1), means substantial help…

  • CMS Quietly Releases Medicaid State Improper Payment Rates for 2025: How Did Minnesota Do?

    With little fanfare, CMS earlier this month released a Fact Sheet on improper payments in Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP, and the Marketplaces in 2025. With even less fanfare, CMS this week posted Medicaid improper payment rates for 17 states, including Minnesota. To its credit, CMS did not conflate Medicaid improper payments with fraud against Medicaid. In the…

  • CMS Weaponizes Fraud Against Medicaid in Minnesota

    [Editor’s Note: Read Part 2 of “CMS Weaponizes Fraud Against Medicaid in Minnesota series here.] On January 6, 2026, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator, Dr. Mehmet Oz, sent a letter to the Governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz, notifying him that his state’s Medicaid agency was “operating its program in substantial noncompliance”…