Arizona Has Recovered Just 5% of Taxpayer Dollars Lost in a $2.5 Billion Medicaid Fraud Scheme

Arizona officials revealed a $2.5 billion Medicaid fraud scheme that targeted Native Americans seeking treatment for addictions.

Investigators found fraudulent operators didn’t provide the services they’d billed for and sometimes allowed patients to continue the substance use for which they had sought treatment.

The state has so far indicted more than 100 individuals and recouped about 5% of the funds the state estimates it paid to bad actors.

Republican majorities in both Arizona ’s Legislature and Congress are pushing to cut Medicaid .

Experts say most Medicaid spending pays for legitimate care, and that fraud is typically committed by a small number of providers.

Arizona officials are pressing forward with efforts to address the lasting damage the fraud scandal inflicted on tribal communities.