Trump administration widens Medicaid fraud crackdown to Florida, calling it 'hotspot' [View all]

Source: ABC News/AP

March 17, 2026, 6:09 PM


The Trump administration on Tuesday widened its efforts to stamp out Medicaid fraud, at least in its fifth state this year, calling on Florida officials to share information on how they identify, prevent, and address bad actors in their state program.

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz had previously sent similar requests to New York, Minnesota, Maine and California in what has been a growing, Trump administration-wide initiative to crack down on fraud, waste and abuse.

The letter to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and other state leaders is the first such request that Oz has announced to a Republican-led state as the administration seeks to convey that fraud won’t be accepted regardless of political leadership.

It comes a day after President Donald Trump signed an executive order to create an anti-fraud task force across federal benefit programs led by Vice President JD Vance. The president has ramped up such efforts as many American voters say they're concerned about affordability ahead of November’s elections.

Announcing the new probe on social media, Oz wrote that Florida “has been a hotspot for health care fraud for years” and called on state leaders to “step up and work with us to stop it.”

Read more: https://abcnews.com/US/wireStory/trump-administration-widens-medicaid-fraud-crackdown-florida-calling-131165620