State Auditor David Yost says he's backing a bill designed to help the state recover money spent on fraudulent payments to Medicaid providers. Ohio Public Radio's Karen Kasler reports.
Yost said in December that his team found overpayments to 133 Medicaid providers since 2011 that added up to nearly $35.7 million with interest – and that more than 90 percent of that money hasn’t been paid back. Yost says he wants professional Medicaid providers to have to acquire surety bonds as insurance to back their work.
“Indiana, Texas, Florida and New York already use an approach like this, and we think Ohio needs to do this too.”
Transportation and home health care agencies would be required to secure $50,000 surety bonds, and home health aides $10,000 bonds. The bill would also require Medicaid providers to complete certification before payment. Yost says most overpayments are the result of insufficient documentation or uncertified care.
