Gov. Tim Walz’s announcement of a pause in payments for 14 Medicaid programs in Minnesota caused widespread confusion and anxiety among the people who provide services to the elderly and disabled.
The Walz administration announced Wednesday that the governor ordered a “pause on all payments for 14 DHS Medicaid services until (an) audit is complete.”
Providers and Democratic legislators reacted with alarm given the prospect of unpaid caregivers and vulnerable Minnesotans shut out of lifesaving services. DHS clarified that each payment will undergo a review and only be paused — for up to 90 days — “if an anomaly is detected and needs to be reviewed further. If the review determines the bill is fraudulent, it will not be paid.” It’s not clear how long the review will take.