Minnesota paid up to $271 million in healthcare benefits to patients enrolled in public healthcare programs despite their ineligibility, based on the Office of Legislative Auditor report, according to Bring Me The News.
Here are six insights:
1. The report revealed the Department of Human Services did not check whether people enrolled in MNsure programs were eligible.
2. This is not a new discovery, as the same issue occurred in 2013 and 2014.
3. The report looked at 157 enrolled people and found 38 percent of them were not eligible for the programs in which they were enrolled.
4. Those 38 percent of people were overpaid a combined total of $93,000 in healthcare benefits.
5. The errors stem from the failure to check whether previously enrolled consumers are still eligible for the same program the next year, and a lack of MNsure-trained employees.
6. The report also found errors in premium billing, application variances and income inconsistencies.