On Tuesday, the Trump administration expanded its scope Efforts to eliminate fraud in the Medicaid programat least in her fifth term this year, calling on Florida officials to share information on how to identify, prevent and address bad actors in their state’s program.
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administration Dr. Mehmet Oz king I have previously sent similar requests to New York, Minnesota, Maine, and California in a growing Trump administration-wide initiative to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse.
The letter to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and other state leaders is the first such request Oz has announced for a Republican-led state as the administration seeks to communicate that fraud will not be tolerated regardless of political leadership.
This comes a day after President Donald Trump signed an executive order creating a task force to combat fraud across federal benefits programs, led by Vice President J.D. Vance. The president has stepped up those efforts as many American voters say they are concerned about affordability ahead of the November election.
Announcing the new probe on social media Oz books 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 pointed to previous examples of high-cost fraud schemes in Florida’s Medicare and Medicaid programs that have led to criminal charges, and said that “given the scope and large-scale nature of these schemes, CMS needs more detail about oversight of the state’s program.”
Florida Attorney General James Othmeier responded to Oz’s post on X and shared an example of a recent Medicaid fraud arrest in the state.
“The Medicaid system is mired in fraud and abuse, and we look forward to working with Dr. Oz on these issues,” he added.
Spokespeople for other letter recipients, including DeSantis and officials with the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, did not immediately respond to emailed inquiries. Oz gave officials 30 days to respond to a detailed list of questions.
Last month, CMS Stopped Medicaid payments to Minnesota Because of concerns about fraud, a move that the state’s Democratic governor, Tim Walz, denounced as a political attack. Oz said the money will not be delivered until Minnesota implements a “comprehensive corrective action plan.”
CMS also 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 aid in recovery from injuries for six months to mitigate suspected incorrect billing.