Vance’s fraud task force pauses new Medicare enrollments for home healthcare and hospice services

During the six-month period, the CMS will intensify its fraud investigations, deploy advanced data analytics, and remove suspicious hospices and home health agencies from Medicare more quickly.

CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz is leading the effort in coordination with Vance’s task force.

“We’ve seen systemic and deeply troubling fraud in the hospice and home health space, with bad actors exploiting some of our most vulnerable Medicare patients and stealing money from the American taxpayer,” Oz said in a statement. “Today we’re shutting the door on fraud—preventing new bad actors from entering Medicare while we aggressively identify, investigate, and remove those already exploiting them. This is about protecting patients, restoring integrity, and safeguarding taxpayer dollars.”

Wednesday’s announcement marks an escalation of the Trump administration’s “war on fraud.” It started in Minnesota and has since extended to California, Texas, and other states.

The CMS froze $350 million in federal Medicare funding for Minnesota over significant fraud concerns, specifically targeting home-based services.

In Los Angeles, the White House task force suspended nearly 450 hospices and over 20 home health agencies suspected of stealing more than $600 million from federal healthcare programs.

The CMS is also investigating hospices in Texas for alleged fraud, but similar investigations seem to predominantly target blue states more than red states.

Separately, the anti-fraud task force revealed that $1.4 billion has been withheld from home healthcare and hospice services nationwide after providers were suspended. About 90% of the suspended providers did not contact the CMS following their suspensions, leading the agency to believe they did engage in fraud.

Oz and Vance acknowledged the exclusive reporting on these fraud developments on social media. Also on Wednesday, the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud set up an X account.

Vance is hosting a 2 p.m. Wednesday press conference solely dedicated to his anti-fraud efforts. He is expected to be joined by Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson in making an announcement.

“It is an honor to work with Vice President Vance and our incredible Task Force partners,” Ferguson wrote on X. “I encourage everyone to tune in today to hear more about all the important work being done by the Trump Administration to eliminate fraud.”