Vice President J.D. Vance joined HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz Wednesday at the White House to announce a new crackdown on Medicare and Medicaid fraud aimed at protecting patients and taxpayers.
The steps include deferring $259.5 million in quarterly federal Medicaid funding for Minnesota to block questionable claims pending further review, imposing a nationwide moratorium on Medicare enrollment for certain durable medical equipment and supply suppliers, and launching the CRUSH initiative—a call for public and stakeholder input to strengthen fraud prevention efforts.
HHS Secretary Kennedy framed the effort as a shift from the traditional “pay and chase” model to a real-time “detect and deploy” strategy, leveraging AI to identify and stop fraud before payments are made. CMS Administrator Oz added that the goal is to proactively block fraud, safeguard taxpayer dollars, and ensure Americans who rely on Medicare and Medicaid continue to receive needed care.
