WICS Live: Around the States

Louisiana: State to Audit Medicaid Providers to Root out Fraud and Abuse. The state Department of Health and Hospitals announced October 29th that it will roll out a new effort to combat fraud in the state’s Medicaid program by auditing more than 700 private firms that provide in-home services for the elderly and people with disabilities. The audits come in the wake of years of growth in the state’s home and community-based services; in the last 7 years, costs grew by 174% and now cost the state $673 million annually.