It’s Not Just Minnesota–Fraud Is Everywhere

Charles Silver If you tried to steal a billion dollars from a bank, you would probably fail. You might even get shot for your trouble. But if you tried to steal the same amount from Medicaid, Medicare, or other federal safety-net programs, your odds of success are much better.

Just submit phony bills, and the government will pay you. , That’s what Somali fraudsters did in Minnesota. They netted more than $9 billion, according to a top prosecutor .

It’s an old trick that has worked thousands of times. In response to the scandal, the Trump administration was quick to blame Minnesota governor Tim Walz for being “asleep at the wheel” amid “a clear dereliction of duty.” Mehmet Oz, who heads the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), said that federal officials “have never seen anythi