No surprise here.
In a revelation that could send shockwaves through the entire U.S. healthcare system, Elon Musk, working under President Trump’s newly established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has exposed what he claims is a mind-blowing $100 billion in wasted taxpayer money within the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Yes, that’s $100 billion—with a “B.”
Musk’s team, alongside two senior CMS veterans, has been meticulously combing through the agency’s payment and contracting systems, which oversee health insurance for one in every four Americans. CMS confirmed to Reuters that DOGE was given read-only access to their systems. But even without the ability to alter data, Musk’s tech-savvy crew managed to uncover a trail of waste, inefficiency, and what Musk boldly suggests could be rampant fraud.
……..On Wednesday, he tweeted, “This is where the big money fraud is happening,” responding to reports of DOGE’s deep dive into CMS payment systems. But it was Thursday night’s tweet that really lit the fuse:
“They wasted $100B of taxpayer money!”Let that sink in. While hardworking Americans are pinching pennies under the weight of Biden-era inflation, the federal government was flushing $100 billion down the drain—money that could’ve funded border security, infrastructure, or literally anything more productive than lining the pockets of bureaucrats and fraudulent operators.
CMS isn’t exactly a small operation. It processes over one billion Medicare claims annually, oversees healthcare quality through hospital and nursing home inspections, and funnels billions to states for Medicaid. With 68 million Americans on Medicare and another 73 million on Medicaid, CMS controls a massive portion of federal spending. And clearly, it’s been operating like an ATM for fraudsters.
Consider this: Between June and October 2024, CMS had to suspend 850 agents and brokers for fraudulent activities like unauthorized enrollments and plan switches. Meanwhile, the Department of Justice charged 193 defendants (including 76 medical professionals) for schemes totaling nearly $2.75 billion in false claims. Since 2007, over 5,400 individuals have been charged with defrauding Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurers of more than $27 billion.
But $27 billion is pocket change compared to the $100 billion Musk just exposed.
This isn’t just an efficiency issue—it’s a systemic failure. President Trump’s decision to unleash Musk and DOGE on the federal bureaucracy is paying off, and it’s clear this is just the beginning. The Swamp is trembling, and it should be.
Ripping off Medicare and Medicaid is a cottage industry. In 2023 alone, the cost of fraud to the taxpayers was $2 billion.
DOGE is cleaning house.