CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The state Attorney General is getting ready in the anticipation his office will soon be in charge of going after Medicaid Fraud in West Virginia. A bill which passed in the final hours of the 60 day session moves the state’s Medicaid Fraud Unit from the oversight of the Department of Health and Human Resources to the Attorney General.
“The Medicaid program is the second largest expenditure of state dollars in West Virginia,” said West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey. “Overall when you consider the state and federal match is over $3.8 Billion.”
Speaking on MetroNews Talkline, Morrisey did not discount the work currently being done by the DHHR. He called some of their efforts “cutting edge.” However, Morrisey thinks his office will be able to cut in to Medicaid Fraud the way their office has cut into other types of fraud in recent years.
“We’re hopeful to join the ranks of 43 other states that allow the Attorney General to go after fraud,” he explained. “Ideally, we hope to save much more money than what we’ve seen in recent years.”
According to Morrisey most experts who have studied the Medicaid situation conclude anywhere from 6 to 10 percent of the budget is lost to fraud. Morrisey believes that’s a hefty figure and even a small change could mean a big savings for the state.
“When you’re looking at a program with $3.8 BILLION, it would be my goal over the long haul to be more aggressive and improve the collection rate,” said Morrisey. “Even if you improve the collection point only a percentage point, when you’re talking about those kinds of dollars that’s very real money.”
The bill is now awaiting Governor Jim Justice’s signature.