Letters: Providers, not patients, are often the villains in Medicaid fraud

I am confused. A recent edition sported this headline: "Audit: Medicaid paid for dead patients." I think a more appropriate headline would have been: Audit: Insurance companies kept the money.

It appears Louisiana Medicaid made routine payments to private insurers. Seems to me that blaming Medicaid alone for the overpayment problem is unfair.

I know, having experienced this following the deaths of both parents, that medical bills do come in several months after a person dies, and insurance claims must be filed.

Thus, Medicaid not throwing someone off rolls immediately seems reasonable. What I find egregious is the private insurance companies keeping the money. Why are our politicians not outraged about that? Why is Medicaid the sole culprit? Adding additional sources to identify deceased clients and automatically contacting insurers to recoup overpayments is probably a no-brainer for Medicaid. Every penny of the current and future overpayments should be returned by the insurers with no delay once identified by Medicaid and the insurers are notified.

As an aside, politicians are painting Medicaid and its recipients as villains, claiming fraud and waste, trying to push people off by making the process arduous, if not impossible, for many, and forcing Medicaid employees into a losing position by slashing staff and curtailing their ability to interact with clients. Most fraud identified has been perpetrated by providers. Follow the money.

ROSANNA MARINO

Baton Rouge