Ohio’s Republican gubernatorial candidate, Vivek Ramaswamy, has announced a comprehensive plan to tackle Medicaid fraud and wasteful spending. His proposal focuses on aligning federal and state incentives, simplifying Medicaid bureaucracy, and making fraud prosecution a top priority. Ramaswamy’s goal is to return savings to Ohioans through reduced healthcare costs.

Plan Details

Ramaswamy’s plan includes seeking approval from the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to increase the state’s retention of savings from fraud detection efforts. Currently, Ohio retains less than $0.35 of every dollar saved; Ramaswamy aims to increase this to at least $0.65. Additionally, he proposes a 10% reduction in Medicaid spending for fiscal year 2027, which could save approximately $3.1 billion.

Ramaswamy intends to collaborate with the Ohio Attorney General to prioritize Medicaid fraud prosecution and work with the Ohio General Assembly to enhance safeguards against fraudulent spending. He emphasizes that fraudsters and corrupt providers are diverting resources from vulnerable Ohioans, driving up healthcare costs for everyone.

Opposition’s Response

Democratic candidate Amy Acton criticized Ramaswamy’s plan, labeling him as out of touch. Acton, who also prioritizes addressing Medicaid fraud, accused Ramaswamy of previously dismissing Medicaid as a ‘mistake’ and questioned his commitment to genuine reform. Her campaign reiterated a focus on lowering healthcare costs, protecting Medicaid and Medicare access, and ending corruption in Ohio’s statehouse.

Ramaswamy’s announcement follows scrutiny from The Daily Wire, which highlighted concerns about billing practices among Ohio’s home health aides. The candidate’s plan positions Ohio to lead in building an accountable Medicaid system focused on serving its intended beneficiaries.

Original reporting: Dayton Daily News — read the source article.