Looks like the Feds are going after Daniels from a different angle.

Audit: Indiana owes feds $39 million for Medicaid

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — A federal audit recommends that Indiana's human services agency refund the federal government nearly $39 million it overpaid to Medicaid providers during a nine-year period.

The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration is preparing a response and doesn't anticipate having to refund any money, spokesman Marcus Barlow said Wednesday.

"We are concurrently constructing our response to the audit and gathering substantive documentation to validate the state's position," he said.

The audit was performed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services inspector general. Spokesman Donald White said what typically happens in such cases is representatives with the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services meet with state officials to negotiate a settlement.

"They meet to determine exactly how much money, if any money, should be repaid to the federal government and how that repayment will be made," he said.

CMMS spokeswoman Elizabeth Surgener said the agency has begun working with Indiana, but said she could not provide any additional information.

According to the audit, which is dated Oct. 26, Indiana failed to report Medicaid overpayments totaling $61.6 million from fiscal years 2000-2008 as required. The federal share of that money is $38.9 million.

The report says 20 of the overpayments were for more than $1 million. In response in July to a draft report of the audit, Patricia Casanova, the state director of Medicaid, wrote that the overpayments of more than $1 million were had "either been repaid, reported or resolved" and asked for the opportunity to work on a resolution on the remaining items included in the audit.

The audit also says the state failed to report $62,000 in interest earned on the overpayments, as required by federal law, and claims the federal share of that interest is $39,000.

"The state agency did not properly report these overpayments because it had not implemented internal controls to ensure that overpayments were reported," the audit says.

Barlow said the state has improved its internal system controls to ensure the proper recording and reporting of overpayments.

The audit comes as Indiana faces tough economic times. State Budget Director Adam Horst said earlier this month that Indiana general fund revenues trail the latest forecast by $15.7 million through the first four months of fiscal 2011. Gov. Mitch Daniels ordered 15 percent cuts in state agency spending for the fiscal year that began in July, and the state is spending its reserves to help make up for revenue shortfalls.

Online:
HHS Office of Inspector General's report: http://oig.hhs.gov/oas/reports/region5/50900021.asp

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010 ... dicaid/?ap

ALSO:
Feds Reject Indiana Request for Health Care Waiver

By Ken Kusmer | November 30, 2011
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has rejected Indiana’s bid for an exemption from federal health care overhaul rules that require insurers selling policies to individuals to essentially dedicate 80 percent of the premiums they collect to medical care. In other words, business costs and profits cannot total more than 20 percent of the premiums the insurers collect, or else they must pay rebates to policyholders the following year.

The Indiana Department of Insurance, arguing the 80 percent rule was discouraging insurers from selling individual policies, requested permission to allow the companies to devote just 65 percent of premiums to medical care this year, about 69 percent next year, 72 percent in 2013 and 76 percent in 2014.
Complete article at:
http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/mi ... 225619.htm


ALSO:
Federal Judge Bars Indiana’s Attempt to Amend Birthright Citizenship .
Published at 3:00 am, January 29, 2011

A federal Judge has ruled that the state of Indiana can not deny paternity documents for children born in the US because their parents are illegal immigrants and do not have Social Security Numbers.

The challenged policy calls that paternity affidavits filed by unmarried parents must contain both parents’ social security numbers or they will be sent back to the health offices unrecorded.

U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt issued the ruling Thursday in a lawsuit filed by parents who say a state policy requiring the numbers violates their children’s rights. The judge agreed the policy resulted in discrimination against an American citizen.

Judge Pratt issued a preliminary injunction barring the policy .

Indiana state officials argue that the policy was meant to reflect state and federal law, states attorneys have not decided whether they will appeal.
http://www.hispanicallyspeakingnews.com ... ship/4776/
ALSO:
Taxpayer Funding of Planned Parenthood Restarts in Indiana Following Federal Judge’s Ruling
Posted on June 25, 2011 at 8:59pm

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Planned Parenthood clinics in Indiana started seeing Medicaid patients again Saturday, the day after a federal judge ruled the state couldn‘t cut off the organization’s public funding for general health services just because it also provides abortions.

Planned Parenthood spokeswoman Kate Shepherd said she didn‘t know how many Medicaid patients had visited the group’s 28 clinics since Friday night’s federal court ruling, but the clinics usually average about 80 a day
Complete Story At:
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/taxpaye ... ge-ruling/