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Cracking Down On Medicaid Fraud

West Virginia spends about $4 billion a year on the Medicaid program, with about one-fourth of that coming from state taxpayers. More than 554,000 Mountain State residents rely on Medicaid.

With that many people and that much money involved, it is inevitable that some people will decide to cheat. Even a minuscule percentage of people collecting benefits fraudulently means millions of dollars lost to taxpayers.

A $1.57 million unit in the Department of Health and Human Resources is supposed to police the Medicaid program. But state Attorney General Patrick Morrisey thinks his office can do better.

“Our state is not doing the basics going after Medicaid fraud,” Morrisey told legislators last week.

Under the DHHR, “The dollar amounts have been much lower than in other states,” Morrisey added. His office would “have a much more aggressive approach than we’ve seen in recent years. I believe we can save many tens of millions of dollars a year.”

In a variety of his office’s responsibilities, ranging from protecting consumers to battling drug abuse, Morrisey’s office has done an excellent job. He has a track record to back up his contention about effectiveness.

And Morrisey thinks his office can handle Medicaid fraud at less expense than the DHHR.

With legislators and Gov. Jim Justice taking new looks at much of what state government does, now would be a good time to try the Morrisey approach. He ought to be given a chance to tackle Medicaid fraud.

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