Video transcript
I spoke in the fall about the iceberg I saw ahead. Something's fraud that's much larger than what's been visible to the public. When I said that it wasn't hyperbole or rhetoric, it was a warning. And today I wanna talk and I wanna show here a sense of what that iceberg looks like. 'Cause I think people deserve to know what that is and how big this problem is. Because we can't solve the problem until we grapple with the size of it. So the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services pulled the claims data for these 14 programs, dating back to 2018. And those 14 programs in Minnesota have cost $18 billion since 2018. And more than $3.5 billion in 2024 alone. So that's a sense of the magnitude of the problem. These are the 14 Medicaid programs, which is just a part of Medicaid. These wavered services that have been flagged as having issues with program integrity and fraud. Now I'm sure everyone is wondering how much of this $18 billion was fraud. That's not the million dollar question, that's the $18 billion question. The answer is far too much. And the task ahead of all of us is not only figuring out how much of that money was fraud, because we know a significant amount was, but figuring out how to put an end to the fraud in our state and get control of it. So let me end with this before I take questions. The magnitude of the fraud in Minnesota cannot be overstated. It's staggering amounts of money that have been lost. But it's not just about the money that's been stolen and wasted. This is a problem that's caused all of us to question what kind of state we live in. I think it's eroded our sense of collective statewide self-esteem and confidence. It's caused a state, as I've said before, that has long taken pride in having a strong economy, good schools, beautiful lakes, mini parks, and a sense of community spirit and civic mindedness. This fraud really calls into question all of that. And I think, I know that it's gone on, it's been allowed to go on far too long, and we need to do whatever we can to stop it in its tracks.
Transcribed automatically. Expect errors in names and numbers.