Trump Administration Prioritizes Affordability by Announcing Major Crackdown on Health Care Fraud

WASHINGTON— February 25, 2026 — Today at the White House, Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Dr. Mehmet Oz announced new steps to crack down on fraud in Medicare and Medicaid to protect patients and taxpayers and improve affordability. The actions include:

• deferring $259.5 million of quarterly federal Medicaid funding in Minnesota to prevent payment of questionable claims while further investigation is completed;
• a nationwide moratorium on Medicare enrollment for certain Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies (DMEPOS) suppliers;
• a nationwide call to action for Americans to support fraud prevention through the Comprehensive Regulations to Uncover Suspicious Healthcare (CRUSH) initiative, including stakeholder input on how CMS can continue to expand and strengthen its efforts.

Together, these steps reflect a coordinated, data-driven strategy to prevent fraud before it occurs, hold bad actors accountable, and protect taxpayer dollars. “For decades, Medicare fraud has drained billions from American taxpayers—that ends now,” said HHS Secretary Kennedy. “We are replacing the old ‘pay and chase’ model with a real-time ‘detect and deploy’ strategy, using advanced AI tools to identify fraud instantly and stop improper payments before they go out the door.”

“CMS is done trying to catch fraudsters with their hands in the cookie jar—instead, we’re padlocking the jar and letting them starve,” said CMS Administrator Oz. “This proactive approach will help us crush fraud, protect taxpayer dollars, and make sure the vulnerable Americans who depend on our programs get the care they need.”

Reduction of fraud, waste, and abuse drives down costs for all Americans. More information on CMS’ fraud prevention efforts is available at: www.cms.gov/fraud.