CMS to require state audits of all providers accepting Medicaid

By Kristin Kuchno / April 21, 2026

CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz, MD, said his administration will require all states to audit healthcare providers participating in Medicaid to address alleged fraud, Politico reported April 21.

Dr. Oz unveiled the plan at Politico’s Health Care Summit. Beginning this week, CMS will require all states to submit a plan within 30 days outlining how they will verify that healthcare providers are real, licensed and actually delivering care under Mediciad, particularly in areas flagged as high-risk for fraud.

“We’re asking the states to own that problem … red and blue, all of them,” Dr. Oz said at the summit, according to Politico. “If you don’t take it seriously, it indicates to us that we might have to take the audits … more aggressively.”

The announcement comes as the White House has expanded its Medicaid fraud crackdown to Florida, following a March 17 letter from Dr. Oz to Gov. Ron DeSantis and other state leaders requesting information on how the state identifies, prevents and addresses Medicaid program integrity issues.

The House Committee on Energy and Commerce sent letters March 3 to 10 other states requesting information on fraud, waste and abuse in their Medicaid programs: California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Maine, Nebraska, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Vermont and Washington. For his part, Dr. Oz has sent letters to California, Florida, Maine and New York alleging Medicaid fraud in their programs, Politico reported.

Minnesota has been the key focus of fraud allegations over the past few months, with CMS freezing about $260 million in Medicaid funding in February. The state filed a lawsuit against the federal government March 2.