GOP Blames Fraud. Democrats Say It’s an Excuse to Cut Medicaid.

Republicans hyped efforts to target Medicaid fraud at a oversight hearing Tuesday, but Democrats argue it’s just an excuse to cut health coverage for low-income individuals.

“For too long, states have been permitted to run Medicaid programs with weak guardrails, making them easy targets for criminals to exploit,” said Rep. John Joyce (R-Pa.), chair of the Energy and Commerce Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee.

Joyce said the committee is building on Medicaid integrity effots passed in the Republican tax law last year, which included measures to tighten eligibility through work requirements and limiting which immigrants could enroll. The collective changes to ...