(Radio Iowa) – A former federal prosecutor says Republican Governor Kim Reynolds should use already existing fraud fighting options rather than wait for a task force report on Medicaid fraud. Reynolds appointed the task force this summer. Attorney Kevin Techau (TECK-ow) led the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals when Democrat Tom Vilsack was governor. Techau says the state’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit is operating below the budget authorized by the federal government.
Techau said also…
The federal government covers 75 percent of the budget for Medicaid Fraud Control Units and each state is required to cover the remaining 25 percent. Techau says Kansas and Arkansas spend around the same amount on Medicaid as Iowa does — and both states have taken a different approach.
Techau made his comments late this (Friday) morning during a news conference in Des Moines. A spokesperson for Governor Reynolds was not immediately available for comment. A spokesperson for Governor Reynolds was not immediately available for comment. Reynolds, when creating the task force, said there is no acceptable level of fraud in the Medicaid system, which covers care for low income, disabled and elderly Iowans. The federal government has determined Iowa’s rate for improper Medicaid payments is just under two percent, which is far below the national average of six percent.
