Minnesota’s House of Representatives passed HF3378 in a 107-27 vote March 12, which aims to grant lawmakers access to the full, unredacted Optum report on the state’s Medicaid program.
Optum has been acting as a third-party auditor for Minnesota in the wake of Medicaid fraud accusations from HHS. While Optum flagged more than $52.3 million in direct recoveries across high-risk services due to policy violations, much of the report was redacted.
“How in the Sam-heck can we do our job if we don’t get this information?” Republican Rep. Jeff Backer asked while presenting a blacked-out page during a Feb. 25 House Human Services Finance and Policy Committee meeting.
While some lawmakers are advocating for the unredacted report to go public, the bill’s sponsor is pushing back.
“We don’t want to give the public a roadmap for fraud,” Republican Rep. Joe Schomacker said.
The state also maintains confidentiality laws, which apply to the legislation.
“Legislators or legislative staff who receive initial Optum reports under this section must not disseminate or publicize any not public data,” the bill said.
