MILWAUKEE, WI. – Today, Congressman Bryan Steil (WI-01), Vice President JD Vance, and Dr. Mehmet Oz, Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), highlighted their work to eliminate fraud within critical federal programs. According to US Department of Justice (DOJ), fraudsters cost Wisconsin Medicaid more than $15.5 million between 2019 and 2022 and more than $6.5 billion nationwide.

“Inadequate fraud prevention standards have opened the door to criminal actors and harmed American families and children,” said Steil. “Program resources should go to those in need, not fraudsters and criminals. I’m proud to work alongside VP Vance and the Trump Administration to protect vulnerable Americans and root out waste, fraud, and abuse.”

Background:

  • According to US DOJ, fraudsters cost Medicaid more than $6.5 billion including more than $15.5 million in Wisconsin between 2019 and 2022.
  • US DOJ filed charges against 455 defendents including:
    • A Milwaukee funeral home owner who is facing 14 felony counts of fraud for stealing nearly $1 million from Medicaid.
    • A Milwaukee prenatal care company owner who is accused of stealing more than $5.4 million from Medicaid.
  • Other recent WI Medicaid fraud charges include:
    • A Milwaukee prenatal care company owner who was sentenced to more than 10 years in prison for stealing more than $2.3 million from Medicaid.
    • A Milwaukee business owner accused of defrauding Medicaid of more than $2 million for personal care services that were never delivered.
  • In July 2025, the Working Family Tax Cuts (WFTC) was signed into law. The bill helps fight waste, fraud, and abuse and strengthens critical programs like Medicaid to protect them for who they were designed to serve: children, pregnant women, and disabled Americans:
    • Work requirements – requires able-bodied adults without young children to work 20 hours per week to receive benefits
    • Eligibility integrity – Strengthens eligibility integrity to remove deceased individuals, remove duplicate enrollees, and perform eligibility verification two times per year
    • Increases Medicaid spending by more than $100 billion over the next 10 years
  • Listen to Rep. Steil’s remarks here.