Gov. Katie Hobbs (D-AZ) has unveiled measures to narrow in on a fraudulent Medicaid scam targeting Native Americans through billing for outpatient health services to alleged criminal activity.
The Hobbs administration was joined by 13 representatives from indigenous tribes and the director of Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, or AHCCCS, to announce they will suspend payments to over 100 providers and can expect more.
Behavioral health companies are suspected of billing for mental health treatment and addiction rehabilitation that was never supplied.
“I have heard stories of the pain and suffering that these exploited individuals have gone through — desperate people struggling with addiction picked up off the street and dropped in a home with drugs, alcohol, and no treatment available,” Hobbs said.
The FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office joined the investigation, which rounded up at least 45 indictments and seized or recovered $75 million.