Yesterday, the Trump administration announced it was pausing more than $1 billion in federal Medicaid payments to Minnesota and California because of the suspected rampant fraud and noncompliance in both states. In a press conference with Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) head Dr. Oz and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, it was announced that California will not receive $867 million until it can prove Medicaid and Medicare payments are legitimate.
Dr. Oz pointed out that California spending on in-home care went up 24 percent in the last two years, double the country’s average. “California increased spending at twice the rate of the average of the rest of the entire nation,” he said. “That doesn’t make sense.” Doubly so when you consider that California has had a net population loss over the last several years.
We all knew Gov. Gavin Newsom would respond to this pausing of payments, and he tried to blame President Trump for it. But it did not go well for Newsom, at all.
“They’re withholding it. But we knew this weeks ago because we’ve been working with them, but they decided again to make it a thing,” Newsom said.
Really? Newsom knew this weeks ago and didn’t say a word about it until today? We don’t buy that for a second.
“We’re trying to be collaborative,” he continued, “understand, it’s ready, fire, aim for them. They’re suggesting something but they haven’t even gotten the response from the state. And now they’re suggesting it very publicly in order to make. This is politics and you know it’s politics. To the extent it’s substantive, bring it on. We want to work with them.”
CMS said it was withholding payments for noncompliance, after requesting information and a plan to address Medicare/Medicaid from California months ago. Has the Newsom administration sent that plan to CMS? Is Newsom really working with the Trump administration he routinely bashes?
Hellbound and Down 