Overview
- Investigative reports using a February data release by the Department of Government Efficiency say Ohio’s Medicaid program paid about $1 billion in 2024 for home care billed as personal services.
- Reporters describe homemaking, chores, and companionship performed in private homes where there is little way to confirm visits or hours, which they say creates easy paths for inflated or fake claims.
- A Columbus office complex at 6161 Busch Boulevard reportedly housed roughly 94 tiny home-health LLCs with near-empty offices, and records cited in the reporting show that address billed taxpayers about $66 million over several years.
- The reporting outlines a model where relatives become “employees” of small firms that hold the billing credentials, then charge Medicaid for caring for their own family members, a setup permitted under some state waivers but hard to police.
- Political reactions followed the publication, with Vivek Ramaswamy calling for aggressive prosecutions and the reports saying a new federal task force led by FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson and Vice President JD Vance will target Medicaid fraud, while outcomes of any probes have not yet been detailed.