PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) – The Rhode Island state auditor says more than 1,000 people who are dead received millions in Medicaid benefits last year.
The annual report from Auditor General Dennis Hoyle states 10,881 people who had passed away remained Medicaid-eligible in the troubled Unified Health Infrastructure Project system. The review also showed $11.6 million in Medicaid payments were made for 1,063 deceased individuals.
The report says more than $5 million of the erroneous payments had not been recouped as of last summer.
UHIP was meant to eliminate waste and streamline benefits, but widespread system issues became apparent immediately after its 2016 launch.
The Executive Office of Health and Human Services says many of the issues identified in Hoyle’s report have since been corrected, and the state is working to recoup erroneous payments.
