Attorney General Keith Ellison, Representative Matt Norris, and Senator Ann Johnson Stewart’s legislation to address Medicaid fraud passed the Minnesota House Public Safety Committee on March 24. The bill, called the Medical Assistance Protection Act or MAP Act, aims to expand Attorney General Ellison’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU), grant new investigative powers, and strengthen state laws against Medicaid fraud.
The bill will now move to the House Ways and Means Committee for further consideration. Previously, it was approved by both the House Human Services Committee on February 26 and the House Judiciary Committee on March 10.
Supporters say that expanding MFCU authority is important because it will help investigate and prosecute those who commit Medicaid fraud more effectively. Last year, Attorney General Ellison’s MFCU ranked sixth in investigations per Medicaid expenditure, fifth in fraud charges, and eighth in fraud convictions nationwide. Over the past six years on average, Minnesota’s MFCU ranks fifth nationally for fraud convictions.
Minnesota’s MFCU has maintained this performance with a smaller staff compared to other states with similar Medicaid budgets. The current staff size of 32 was set when Minnesota’s Medicaid budget was about $13 billion; today that budget is roughly $20 billion. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General recommends increasing staffing levels for Minnesota’s MFCU based on this larger budget.
States with similar-sized Medicaid budgets often have larger units dedicated to investigating medical assistance fraud. Data from HHS OIG’s 2024 annual report highlights these differences in staffing across states.
