Ohio auditor’s report finds Medicaid spending on ineligible enrollees

Millions in Medicaid benefits were paid out for Ohioans who were ineligible for them, or even dead, according to a new interim report from the Ohio Auditor of State's Office (Source: “Auditor finds Ohio doled out Medicaid money for dead, ineligible Ohioans,” Columbus Dispatch, Sept. 23).
 
The auditor's office reviewed programs for the Medicaid recipient population known as Aged, Blind and Disabled (ABD), made up of roughly 500,000 Ohioans, over a 30-day period. Of the 1,500 individuals sampled, 49 (3%) were not eligible to receive those benefits, including 25 who did not meet eligibility requirements based on their bank accounts, personal and real property, investments, and other nonexempt resources, according to the report.
 
In total, the auditor's office found over $2 million in fixed monthly payments made to medical providers for those who shouldn't have had or didn't need Medicaid benefits. Based on data included in HPIO’s Medicaid Basics 2025, federal and state expenditures on Medicaid in state fiscal year 2024 were nearly $39 billion ($3.25 billion per month), with 69% coming from the federal government.
 
Of the nearly 500,000 overall ABD enrollees, the auditor's office also found that 3,000 dead individuals had Medicaid benefits paid on their behalf.