Attorney General Keith Ellison announced on May 5 that the Medical Assistance Protection Act, also known as the MAP Act, passed the Minnesota Senate as part of its Supplemental Finance Omnibus bill. The legislation aims to expand Ellison’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, grant it new investigative authority, and strengthen state laws to make prosecuting Medicaid fraud easier.
The passage of this bipartisan bill is intended to give investigators and prosecutors more tools and resources in addressing fraud against Minnesota’s Medicaid program. The MAP Act was also approved by the Ways and Means Committee of the Minnesota House of Representatives earlier in the day and will next be considered by the full House.
“The passage of the MAP Act in the Senate today puts us one massive step closer to getting my investigators and prosecutors the tools and resources they need to even more aggressively prosecute fraudsters,” Attorney General Ellison said. “When people steal from Medicaid, they are stealing money meant to provide healthcare to low-income Minnesotans and the MAP Act will help us hold these fraudsters accountable for their reprehensible actions. I’m grateful to Senator Ann Johnson Stewart for authoring the bill and for all she has done to help our fraud-fighting legislation pass in the Minnesota Senate. I’m also grateful to all the lawmakers who voted for our bill on the Senate floor today, as well as in various committees this session, and I look forward to this important bill passing in the Minnesota House in the near future.”
Senator Ann Johnson Stewart said: “I am honored to have carried this bill throughout this biennium and worked closely with my colleagues and the Attorney General to better safeguard taxpayer dollars and hold bad actors accountable. The Medicaid Fraud Control Unit already punches above its weight in securing convictions and recovering dollars for Minnesotans, and this bill will make that work even more effective for our state. I look forward to the House taking it up soon and this important Act becoming law.”
According to information provided by Ellison’s office, his unit has secured over 340 convictions related to Medicaid fraud since he was first elected attorney general, recovering over $90 million through restitution efforts during that time period. Last year alone, his office ranked among national leaders both in terms of investigations per dollar spent on Medicaid expenditures as well as total charges filed.
Minnesota’s MFCU operates with a smaller staff than comparable states despite recommendations from federal authorities that staffing should match increases in state budgets; while current staffing stands at 32 employees based on an older budget figure of $13 billion annually, recent estimates place Minnesota’s annual Medicaid budget at roughly $20 billion.
Broader implications could include enhanced protection against fraudulent claims within public health programs if similar measures are adopted elsewhere or if increased resources result in higher rates of prosecution statewide.
