California must repay nearly $53 million to the federal government after a federal audit revealed that the state improperly claimed Medicaid fund reimbursements for noncitizens’ medical care.
California Must Repay $53 Million for Mistakes in Medicaid Fund Claims for Noncitizens
According to the article in The Latin Times, California must return nearly $53 million to the federal government following a recent audit by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The review revealed that the state improperly requested Medicaid funds for medical services provided to non-U.S. citizens, including undocumented immigrants and others who don’t meet specific eligibility criteria. The state’s program, Medi-Cal, assists noncitizens, but federal law generally prohibits the use of Medicaid funds for this purpose unless it’s for emergency care.
The problem came from how California figured out the money it should get back from Medicaid funds. The state used an old and wrong method to calculate costs. They subtracted the money spent on non-emergency services for noncitizens from the total spent on emergency care. This mistake led to California wrongly asking for $52.7 million between October 2018 and June 2019. The checkers said California should pay back this money and also look at other years to find any more mistakes.
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$53 Million Repayment: California Ordered to Pay Back Medicaid Funds for Noncitizens (PHOTO: Los Angeles Times)
California to Repay $53 Million to Federal Government After Medicaid Fund Audit Amid $45 Billion State Deficit
Furthermore, California’s Department of Health Care Services agreed with the findings and promised to pay back the money by June 30, 2024. This happens as the state is dealing with a big budget problem, needing to cut spending to fix a $45 billion deficit. By accepting the results and planning to repay, California shows it wants to follow federal rules while managing its money problems.
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