Medicaid fraud audits show little return on program costs

Bloomberg: Medicaid Fraud Audits Cost Five Times Amount U.S. Found
A program to fight fraud in the Medicaid health system for the poor has cost the U.S. at least $102 million in auditing fees since 2008 while identifying less than $20 million in overpayments, investigators found. The majority of the audits conducted by 10 companies were discontinued, produced "low or no findings" or were "put on hold," the Government Accountability Office, the nonpartisan investigative arm of Congress, said today in a report. Three companies won't have their contracts renewed, and two others will be reassigned, said Peter Budetti, the director of program integrity at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (Wayne, 6/14).