The Trump administration on Tuesday widened its efforts to stamp out Medicaid fraud, at least in its fifth state this year, calling on Florida officials to share information on how they identify, prevent, and address bad actors in their state program.
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz had previously sent similar requests to New York, Minnesota, Maine and California in what has been a growing, Trump administration-wide initiative to crack down on fraud, waste and abuse.
The letter to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and other state leaders is the first such request that Oz has announced to a Republican-led state as the administration seeks to convey that fraud won’t be accepted regardless of political leadership.
It comes a day after President Donald Trump signed an executive order to create an anti-fraud task force across federal benefit programs led by Vice President JD Vance. The president has ramped up such efforts as many American voters say they’re concerned about affordability ahead of November’s elections.
Announcing the new probe on social media, Oz wrote that Florida “has been a hotspot for health care fraud for years” and called on state leaders to “step up and work with us to stop it.”
He referenced past examples of high-dollar fraud schemes in Florida’s Medicare and Medicaid programs that resulted in criminal charges and said that “given the widespread scale and nature of these schemes,” CMS needed more details about the state’s program oversight.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier responded to Oz’s post on X and shared an example of a recent Medicaid fraud arrest in the state.
“The Medicaid system is overwhelmed with fraud and abuse, and we look forward to working with Dr. Oz on these issues,” he added.
Spokespeople for the other letter recipients, including DeSantis and Florida Agency for Health Care Administration officials, didn’t immediately respond to emailed inquiries. Oz gave the officials 30 days to respond to a list of detailed questions.
Last month, CMS halted Medicaid payments to Minnesota over fraud concerns, a move the state’s Democratic Gov. Tim Walz denounced as a political attack. Oz said the money would be delivered only after Minnesota implements “a comprehensive corrective action plan.”
CMS also has said it is blocking any new Medicare enrollments for suppliers of durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics or other supplies used to treat chronic conditions or assist in injury recovery for six months to mitigate suspected improper billing.
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