Pennsylvania Auditor General Jack Wagner says the Department of Public Welfare must improve its monitoring of Medicaid recipients to save public money.
Wagner says auditors found errors on 14.7% of more than 13,000 Medicaid cases they sampled from 2005 to 2009. He says these mistakes allow Pennsylvanians who are ineligible for the service to receive Medicaid assistance.
Wagner says the DPW Secretary admitted to a 4% error rate, but he says even that lower margin of error would cost state taxpayers $320 million annually.
He says this is a managerial problem that is especially painful, given the current economic recession.
The DPW currently reviews changes in recipients’ eligibility once or twice each year. Wagner says with today’s technology, DPW offices should be able to review these files monthly, weekly, or even daily.
Wagner says there are a variety of reasons a person’s Medicaid eligibility could change, including getting a second job or a promotion.
Monday, February 1, 2010
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