According to a recent audit conducted by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, more than $1 billion in Medicaid funds were spent on illegal immigrants
By Naveen Athrappully Contributing Writer Billions of dollars are being spent to cover the health care expenses of illegal immigrants, border czar Tom Homan said in a recent interview with Fox News. Between Immigration […]
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Another misleading article.
AI truthful version:
The information you cited is related to claims made by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator, Dr. Mehmet Oz, regarding preliminary audit findings. The details surrounding this claim are complex and subject to differing interpretations by various sources.
Key Points of the Claim and Controversy
* The Claim: CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz stated in late 2025 that a preliminary audit by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services found that more than $1 billion in federal Medicaid money, mostly during 2024–2025, was improperly claimed by several states for healthcare benefiting undocumented immigrants, a practice generally prohibited by federal law outside of emergency medical services. The Trump administration indicated plans to claw this money back from the states in question.
* The States Involved: The search results indicate that California was cited as the largest source of the improper spending, followed by states and districts including Illinois, Oregon, Washington, D.C., and Colorado.
* The Federal Law: Generally, federal Medicaid funds are prohibited from being used to cover non-emergency healthcare services for noncitizens with an "unsatisfactory immigration status." However, federal law does mandate and fund Medicaid coverage for emergency medical services provided to individuals who meet all other Medicaid eligibility requirements (like income) but lack an eligible immigration status (which includes undocumented immigrants).
* Contradicting View: Experts and spokespersons from some states involved have challenged Dr. Oz's claim, suggesting that the audits in question were routine reviews of state claiming for matching funds and were primarily related to administrative errors, not improper enrollment of undocumented immigrants. These experts argued that it is highly unlikely undocumented immigrants could unlawfully enroll in Medicaid due to verification requirements, and that the rhetoric misidentified routine administrative issues as immigration-related misuse.
In summary, the statement reflects a specific claim and planned action by the Trump administration based on preliminary CMS audit findings, but the veracity of that claim—specifically whether the $1 billion represents non-emergency care for undocumented immigrants or routine administrative errors in state claims—is actively disputed by other experts and state officials. The CMS has publicly announced increased oversight to prevent states from misusing federal Medicaid dollars for non-emergency care for those in the country without satisfactory immigration status.
