Third party will audit Medicaid billing at Minnesota's Department of Human Services, Walz says

Gov. Tim Walz on Wednesday said that a third party will audit billing for 14 Medicaid services that are deemed to be "high risk" for fraud in Minnesota.

The Department of Human Services will contract with Optum using funds passed during the 2025 legislative session in an effort to flag potentially fraudulent claims.

Optum will identify any irregularities such as missing documentation and unusually high billing patterns, according to the governor's office. They'll then pass that information to the human services department to review.

Walz says that the review of payments could result in longer wait times before the providers are paid, but the state will still meet federal rules which require payment within 90 days.

"We cannot effectively deliver programs and services if they don't have