Committee advances MAP Act to expand Medicaid fraud enforcement staff, subpoena powers and penalties

The Judiciary Committee on April 4 laid the groundwork for tougher Medicaid‑fraud enforcement by recommending Senate File 2689, the Medical Assistance Protection Act, to the State and Local Government Committee.

Sen. Lindsey Johnson Stewart said the bill would add nine staff to the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit — expanding the unit from 32 to 41 investigators/prosecutors — and that federal matching funds would cover 75 percent of the new positions. Nick Wonka, director of the unit, told the committee the Office of Inspector General (federal HHS OIG) recommends staffing levels based on the total Medicaid budget; the proposed increase tracks that federal guidance.

The measure would grant the Attorney General power similar to county attorneys to subpoena financial records during provider‑fraud investigations and would recodify and modernize state medical‑assistance fraud statutes to permit prosecution under updated language. Wonka said the bill’s penalty provisions mirror existing theft, insurance‑fraud and workers‑compensation fraud statutes and place provider fraud on par with other program‑fraud offenses.

Committee members expressed general support for increasing enforcement resources but some requested greater transparency about investigative practices and data‑handling. Sen. Jerry Croon said the committee should consider how cases are identified and referred and whether DHS analytic processes and referral criteria are adequately understood by policymakers. Other members raised concerns about public access to documents from closed investigations; one member noted prior efforts to seek greater transparency from the Attorney General’s Office.

The committee recommended the bill be passed and referred to the State and Local Government Committee for further work on funding and oversight details.