Updated
Updated · Fox News · Aug 16
DOJ Charges 19 in Pennsylvania Medicaid Fraud Sweep as State Cites $8 Billion Home-Care Risk
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Aug 16

DOJ Charges 19 in Pennsylvania Medicaid Fraud Sweep as State Cites $8 Billion Home-Care Risk

1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 16

Summary

  • Nineteen people were charged in Philadelphia and elsewhere in the first broad Pennsylvania action by the DOJ’s expanded anti-fraud task force, targeting Medicaid home-care billing schemes.
  • DOJ officials said suspects billed for care while pulled over by police, in court, driving for a rideshare company and even in prison, underscoring allegations that funds were diverted from disabled recipients and taxpayers.
  • Pennsylvania’s exposure is large: the state spends $8 billion on Medicaid home-care services and has seen a 20% rise in adults in home-care programs since 2018.
  • Gov. Josh Shapiro and Republican lawmakers backed the crackdown, with the state pointing to 119 Medicaid fraud cases charged in 2024, more than $11 million recovered, and 744 DHS referrals handled by the attorney general’s office in 2025.
  • The case is being cast as a contrast with Minnesota’s scandal, with federal and state officials stressing cooperation as the DOJ’s Northeast Strike Force expands its broader national fraud push.

Insights

Will the aggressive crackdown on Medicaid fraud inadvertently drive honest caregivers away from an already fragile home-care system?
How did a caregiver bill for over 24 hours in a single day without triggering alarms in an $8 billion system?