Congress Investigates Colorado Medicaid After Reports Of Fraud And Improper Payments

By Marianne Goodland | The Denver Gazette

A congressional committee is probing reports of waste, fraud and abuse in Colorado’s Medicaid program, citing recent stories outlining over-billing in transportation spending and alleged improper payments in autism services.

The U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce has sent a letter to Gov. Jared Polis and the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Finance, seeking, among other things, audits and processes in place to comply with federal laws

The March 3 letter, signed by committee Chair Rep. Brett Guthrie, a Republican from Kentucky, and two subcommittee chairs, pointed to problems that they said surfaced in Minnesota, such as over-billing, falsified records, identity theft and phantom claims in Medicaid social service and health programs for a variety of populations.

The officials said they are concerned Colorado’s Medicaid program “may be similarly vulnerable” to fraud, waste and abuse that “harms Medicaid enrollees, legitimate providers, and taxpayers.”

The committee set a March 17 deadline for a response from Colorado.

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