Floyd Prophet: When is it enough?

Are you tired yet of hearing state after state across the country getting exposed for the massive Medicaid and Medicare fraud? When and where will it stop? By all accounts, it won't be anytime soon.

Let's start with Minnesota. According to reports thus far, the state government under the leadership of failed Gov. Tim Walz allowed at least $9 billion go out to unvetted agencies and individuals with no accountability at all. More may be coming once the federal investigators get through. Recent reporting indicated "three individuals in the largest Medicaid fraud case in state history totaling nearly $11 million, linked to fictitious claims in home health care and personal care assistance." Yes, that's only three people that were allowed to bilk taxpayers for that insane amount.

Staying in the Midwest in neighboring Illinois, they have been hit with massive billions as well. There were 13 individuals charged in July 2025 "for schemes billing more than $1.83 billion to government programs (including Medicaid and Medicare) and private insurers." That's just as bad as Kamala Harris and her presidential campaign. In just over three months as the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee after she did not get a single vote in any primary, she blew through $1 billion — in three months — and still wound up $20 million in debt. She couldn't even manage a campaign, can you imagine the state of our economy and the additional burden on taxpayers had she been elected?

And we certainly cannot ignore the People's Republic of California. The Democrat party control over the state and local government, with Gov. Gavin Newsom leading the pack, have destroyed the Golden State in practically every area other than weather. The numbers there are absolutely mind-blowing, and investigators are just beginning. Just as bad as Newsom is at the state level, L.A. mayor Karen Bass is running for re-election after she ran off to an African wedding while the city burned. The city has a huge homeless population that has cost taxpayers more billions. She said meth users currently living on the streets will get new teeth so they can apply for jobs and get work. Why not take the meth away? Oh yeah, that makes too much sense for obvious reasons.

Federal reports and news outlets have claimed that the Medi-Cal system could be as high as $146 billion per year. I don't understand how California voters just keep the corruption in perpetual motion.

We're not immune here in North Carolina. Just 3 months ago, "four individuals were sentenced for a $12.7 million Medicaid fraud scheme." Let's remember it was under the Gov. Roy Cooper tenure that Medicaid was expanded in 2023. Cooper is just as guilty in the fraud department as Waltz is in Minnesota. That begs the question why was there not a thorough review of our Medicaid department to identify fraud and waste before expanding? No doubt there is much abuse of taxpayer money going on in Raleigh, but no one is cleaning it up. It goes without saying our Democrat governor, Josh Stein, is having to "…grapple with a $300 million Medicaid shortfall…" See a tax hike in your future?

With all the noise going on around us, it seems more local and state officials would rather impose a tax here, a tax there just to keep feeding the cash cow. Stop everything and have internal and external investigations to eliminate all of the waste, fraud and abuse. The money saved would probably trigger some tax decreases, if the truth be known. Taxpayers are owed that at the very minimum.

Floyd Prophet lives in Kannapolis.