A piece of good news on the government efficiency front: Medicaid fraud by recipients and providers cost the General Fun only $6.1 million in Fiscal 2009, according to a report published by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC).
The less-than-g0od news is that payments to individuals improperly enrolled in Medicaid amounted to beween $18 million and $263 million, based on federal review of Virginia’s eligibility determination process. Assuming the real number lies between the two extremes, that’s a relatively small portion of Virginia’s Medicaid budget, which in fiscal 2011 was $7.2 billion.
Still, any fraud is too much, and JLARC thinks performance can be improved. States the report: “Additional investments are needed to reduce future errors through improved State oversight of local departments of social services, modernized information technology, and provision of additional training to caseworkers.”
— JAB
