Union stalls Medicaid fraud investigation

SPRINGFIELD-- Imagine walking into a government office, asking for $5,000 and being handed a check -- without anyone bothering to verify whether you qualify for the money.

That's how the state has been managing its Medicaid program for years.

While nobody actually gets handed a check, they receive a benefit with a value of about $5,000 -- and a real cost to taxpayers.

Folks who apply for the health insurance program, which is reserved for low-income folks, are granted the coverage, but not enough has been done to ensure recipients are answering questions truthfully to determine whether they really qualify.

For some, basic questions are never verified, including: How much do applicants really earn? Do they really live in Illinois? Are they U.S. citizens?

Ever since the Medicaid program began expanding under former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, Republican lawmakers, in particular, have been waving the red flag and crying, "Are all of these folks really eligible?

Source: http://www.qconline.com/archives/qco/display.php?id=645656

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