HHS investigation finds Medicaid contractors deny care at high rates

Private health insurance companies paid by Medicaid denied millions of requests for care for low-income Americans with little oversight from federal and state authorities, according to a new report by U.S. investigators published last week (Source: “Insurers Deny Medical Care for the Poor at High Rates, Report Says,” New York Times, July 19).

The report by the inspector general’s office of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services details how often private insurance plans contracted with Medicaid refused to approve treatment and how states handled the denials.

The report emphasized the crucial role that state and federal officials should play to ensure the denials were justified. “People of color and people with lower incomes are at increased risk of receiving low-quality health care and experiencing poor health outcomes, which makes ensuring access to care particularly critical for the Medicaid population,” the investigators said.