An internal audit of the Medicaid program in President Barack Obama’s home state of Illinois has confirmed what was quietly known for years: a huge proportion of enrollees are not actually qualified for the program. At first, the proportion was reported as up to half of enrollees. Later, the state reported that only one in four had been ineligible. Regardless, it has already begun canceling Medicaid for hundreds of thousands of recipients.
Problems with Medicaid are especially topical, as Obamacare offers states funds to expand their Medicaid programs. Indeed, early reports of Obamacare enrollment indicate that many, and perhaps most, of those who have obtained health insurance through Obamacare have joined Medicaid rather than purchasing private insurance. The new entitlement may be adding new layers of confusion to a system already rife with fraud.