Comptroller’s audit: New Jersey is paying too much for Medicaid

A new audit finds New Jersey is paying too much for Medicaid, the Associated Press reports:

A state comptroller’s report released Tuesday faults the state’s largest Medicaid HMO for failing to aggressively pursue fraud and abuse cases that would lower the state’s health insurance costs.

Comptroller Matthew Boxer says Horizon NJ Health, or HNJH, recovered $188,207 in improper Medicaid payments in the past two years. That’s less than one-tenth of 1 percent of the $1.3 billion HNJH is paid by New Jersey each year.

Horizon says its anti-fraud unit received a 100 percent score in previous state Human Services Department audits.

Medicaid is a federal health program for low-income and disabled residents that is funded jointly by the state and federal governments and managed by states.