Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz says fraudsters in Minnesota paid mothers roughly $1,500 per child to falsely claim their children were autistic, Breitbart News reports.
Oz made the remarks at an appearance with President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, crediting the administration’s anti-fraud task force and independent reporting.
“Fraud doesn’t just steal our money. Fraud steals people’s lives and it also steals our trust as a nation,” Oz said.
He described two sets of victims: children left carrying a false diagnosis, and mothers of children who genuinely need services but cannot afford care.
Oz said CMS reviewed providers in 14 Minnesota programs flagged as high risk for fraud and found roughly a third could not be validated.
He said the agency is pursuing dozens of cases, including criminal investigations, and has deferred about half a billion dollars in payments to the state.
The $1,500 figure rests on Oz’s account. Breitbart’s report does not name the providers involved or cite charging documents for that claim.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has called the federal effort a “campaign of retribution,” accusing the administration of using the federal government to punish blue states like Minnesota.
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