The Trump administration is opening a fraud probe in Florida as it expands its nationwide crackdown on state Medicaid programs, according to the Associated Press.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz appeared to confirm the move in a Tuesday post on the social platform X, claiming that the state had become a \u201chotspot for health care fraud\u201d in recent years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat I saw on the ground in Florida around durable medical equipment fraud was horrifying,\u201d Oz wrote. \u201cThe scale is out of control \u2013 and not just limited to these schemes. Cleaning this up will require a laser focus and real action from state leaders.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The AP reported that Oz sent a letter to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and other state leaders requesting information on how the state identifies, prevents and addresses bad actors. Similar letters have previously been sent to New York, Minnesota, Maine and California.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Oz argued in his post that fraud was \u201cwidespread, sophisticated, and deeply entrenched\u201d within federal healthcare programs, referencing at least three high-dollar fraud convictions in Florida since January.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The state\u2019s Attorney General James Uthmeier wrote on X that Florida\u2019s system was \u201coverwhelmed\u201d with fraud, signaling his office\u2019s willingness to work with Oz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
DeSantis\u2019s chief of staff, Jason Weida, also vowed the governor\u2019s cooperation in tackling the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe have zero tolerance for waste, fraud, and abuse \u2014 and we will aggressively deploy every resource necessary to root it out at any level in our state. Stay tuned,\u201d Weida wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
President Trump campaigned in 2024 on pledges to root out waste, fraud and abuse in the federal government and has taken a series of actions in his second term aimed at advancing that goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump signed an executive order on Monday establishing a task force led by Vice President Vance to \u201ccoordinate and accelerate a comprehensive national strategy to stop fraud, waste, and abuse\u201d in various government programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Those efforts have drawn criticism from Democrats, who argue the Trump administration is exaggerating the scale of the issue to justify policy changes and funding cuts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump officials announced that $259 million in Medicaid funding to Minnesota would be temporarily halted over fraud concerns, a move Gov. Tim Walz (D) slammed as \u201cpolitical punishment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n