PRESS RELEASE: Florida Health Advocacy Organizations Respond to the Attorney General’s Public Assistance Task Force

Florida - On Wednesday, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier and the Agency for Health Care Administration announced the creation of a Public Assistance Fraud Task Force to investigate fraud in public assistance programs, despite existing oversight bodies like the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, already serving that function. 

Health organizations across the state, including Florida Policy Institute, Florida Voices for Health, and Florida Health Justice Project, are concerned that this task force risks further politicizing essential safety net programs like Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). While efforts to address fraud are important, they must not come at the expense of Floridians who use the program as intended. 

There is no question that fraud and abuse exists - primarily by providers - and has been documented in past reports from the Florida Attorney General’s office and even highlighted in a recent letter from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. But broad, punitive attacks aimed at recipients risk undermining the program’s integrity rather than strengthening it.  

Florida’s own track record raises additional concerns. High-profile incidents, such as the Hope Florida controversy, in which $10 million of Medicaid funds were reportedly diverted to a nonprofit tied to Florida’s First Lady Casey DeSantis, and funneled into political committees, underscore the need for accountability within the existing system. 

We urge state and federal leaders to refrain from reducing access to Medicaid and SNAP under the guise of combating fraud, as it may harm the very people these programs are intended to serve. We’ve seen this risk play out in Minnesota. In Florida, these actions could further disrupt coverage at a time when the state is taking strides to reinstate coverage for people who erroneously lost their Medicaid benefits. 

Below are statements from several Florida health advocacy organizations in response to the task force announcement.

Scott Darius, Executive Director at Florida Voices for Health, said, “Florida’s top leaders should make sure our safety net programs are working to help Floridians who need it. Addressing systemic fraud within the system is critical, but when it’s already hard for families and caregivers to even be eligible for Medicaid, maybe the focus should be helping more residents access the care they need.”

Melanie Williams, Policy Director at Florida Health Justice Project, said, “Medicaid enrollees stand to bear the brunt of this, and experience loss of access to healthcare when they are not the primary perpetrators of fraud. We know that fraud exists, and there are mechanisms in place to address that. Targeting vulnerable populations like children, pregnant and postpartum women, caretakers, and elderly is not the right move and it simply puts more Floridians at risk of losing their health coverage.” 

Cindy Huddleston, senior policy analyst at Florida Policy Institute, said: “Ensuring that Floridians in need can access SNAP and other basic needs programs should be top-line in every action the state takes, especially with the high cost of food that makes it increasingly harder for people to afford groceries. It is important that the Task Force tread deliberately and be mindful not to impose barriers, unnecessary red tape, or unjustified verification on families who are doing their best.  Participants in Florida’s SNAP program are among the most vulnerable people in the state, mostly children, seniors, people with disabilities, and veterans. We can’t play fast and loose with benefits that are their life line."

If you'd like to request an interview, please contact Jossie Barroso at jossie@healthyfla.org. 

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