Ohio needs more guardrails to prevent Medicaid fraud, Dr. Mehmet Oz said May 26, but he trusts Gov. Mike DeWine to get the job done.
Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, joined DeWine in suburban Columbus on May 26 to tout an Ohio initiative that helps children get eyeglasses. The visit came as DeWine faces scrutiny from his fellow Republicans over fraud within the Medicaid program.
A report from the conservative Daily Wire alleged widespread misconduct in the home health care system, which allows people to receive care in their homes instead of a nursing facility. In some cases, the caregivers are also relatives.
Oz said people who receive these services should have to prove they need it.
“Carrying groceries up the stairs might be important to keep you out of a nursing home because you don’t have anybody around you,” he said. “That’s possible. But we don’t want everybody hiring their kids to carry the groceries up the stairs.”
DeWine has defended Ohio’s efforts to combat fraud and rolled out new reforms, such as halting payments to providers with suspicious billing practices. Oz said the Trump administration granted DeWine’s request for a six-month moratorium on new businesses becoming Medicaid providers.
“We know that having someone in their own home is much, much cheaper, but it’s also better for them,” DeWine said. “It’s better for their health than if they are in a nursing home.”
The issue is now front and center in the race to replace DeWine as governor. Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy pitched a plan to streamline Medicaid and increase the prosecution of fraud. His opponent, Democratic Dr. Amy Acton, said the blame lies with Republicans who have controlled state government for years.
Ramaswamy met with Oz during his trip to Ohio.
Even before the Daily Wire article, state and federal officials had already been scrutinizing Ohio Medicaid.
An April report from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services examined Ohio’s personal care services, which are part of home health care. The agency recommended Ohio better track overpayments, train providers annually and conduct reviews to flag providers with an unusually high number of visits.
State government reporter Haley BeMiller can be reached at hbemiller@usatodayco.com or @haleybemiller on X.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Dr. Mehmet Oz, head of CMS, calls for Ohio Medicaid reform
Reporting by Haley BeMiller, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
