Attorney general asks for staff to expand Medicaid fraud work and details multi‑year recoveries

Attorney General Keith Ellison told the House State Government Finance and Policy Committee on April 1 that his office seeks additional resources to expand investigations and prosecutions of Medicaid fraud and described a series of civil and criminal recoveries the office has obtained in recent years.

Ellison said the Medicaid-fraud expansion request is $390,000 in state funds for the biennium; the program has a substantial federal match and the state would pay about 25% of the cost. Laura Sales, director of government relations for the attorney general, told lawmakers the request would support nine staff (one attorney, seven investigators and one support position).

Why it matters

Ellison said stronger investigative capacity helps detect and stop fraud sooner. "What we gotta do is increase the certainty that you will get caught," he told lawmakers, arguing that more investigators raise the likelihood of detection and thus deter fraud. Committee members said stopping fraud earlier reduces prosecutorial costs and limits harm to vulnerable Medicaid recipients.

Office achievements and examples cited

Ellison described a series of the attorney general's office results and programs: he said his office has contributed roughly $2.1 billion to state and household finances over the past six years through settlements, rate work and recoveries, and he listed examples including opioid-company settlements and utility‑rate advocacy that his office says produced substantial consumer savings. He also cited the office's antitrust work, including a multistate lawsuit alleging John Deere improperly restricted repairability of equipment, and a wage-theft unit that has returned money to workers.

On the Medicaid fraud unit specifically, Sales said the unit's budget is approximately $5 million per year with the state covering about 25% of that amount; the attorney general's office said it will provide more detailed figures upon request. Ellison and his staff offered to follow up by email with committee members on historical metrics, clawbacks and outside-counsel costs.

Committee questions and follow up

Members asked about the AG's decision-making on defending or declining to defend state statutes in litigation, outside-counsel costs, staffing and vacancy pressures, and the scale and sources of recoveries. Ellison said many of the office's federal challenges have been successful in recent months, and he offered to provide detailed historical data on the office's outside counsel use and case outcomes.

Ending

Lawmakers said they will consult with the attorney general's office as they write finance language. The AG's office offered to provide follow-up materials on Medicaid fraud recoveries, outside-counsel costs, and vacancy levels.