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\t\t\tMaine Gov. Janet Mills, left, and Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator for the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. (Photos by Derek Davis\/Staff Photographer and Alex Brandon\/Associated Press)<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMaine Gov. Janet Mills, left, and Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator for the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. (Photos by Derek Davis\/Staff Photographer and Alex Brandon\/Associated Press)<\/p>\n
The Mills administration on Wednesday released an overview of the state\u2019s major enforcement actions against service providers funded by Medicaid and Medicare, announcing that it had suspended payments to five providers suspected of fraud and referred one to law enforcement.<\/p>\n
In June 2026, Maine officials suspended payments<\/a> to the providers based on credible allegations of fraud, Mills\u2019 office said. It also implemented two provider terminations because of \u201ccredible complaints of serious health and safety risks,\u201d and unenrolled 28 caregivers who failed to submit a claim within one year.<\/p>\n In announcing the actions, the administration sought to distinguish its efforts from that of the Trump administration. Dr. Mehmet Oz, the administrator of the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, has been the public face of a federal anti-fraud effort by the Trump administration. But Maine officials contend that his team\u2019s push is not serious.<\/p>\n Oz came to Maine on Monday<\/a> to focus on suspected fraud but did not try to meet with any state officials. Instead, he met with a conservative media outlet and former Republican Paul LePage, who is a candidate for the 2nd Congressional District seat.<\/p>\n \u201cThat Administrator Oz filmed videos with conservative media and a Republican candidate for Congress but made no effort to meet with any administration officials who are actually doing the work of fighting fraud suggests that the administrator is more interested in politics than in combatting fraud,\u201d Mills spokesman Ben Goodman said in a written statement.<\/p>\n The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services did not respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n One Maine Republican leader gave credit not to the Mills administration, but to the Trump team for helping Maine root out alleged bad actors in the healthcare space. <\/p>\n \u201cRepublicans have repeatedly attempted to address fraud in MaineCare and concerns about the program\u2019s sustainability through the legislative process. Regrettably, the administration and legislative Democrats have continued to bury their heads in the sand,\u201d said Senate Republican Leader Trey Stewart, R-Aroostook. \u201cI\u2019m glad the federal government is stepping up to force the administration to do what it should have done years ago \u2014 crack down on clearly suspect MaineCare payments.\u201d<\/p>\n Wednesday\u2019s news comes after considerable back and forth between the Trump administration and Maine officials over the state\u2019s Medicaid program, also known as MaineCare. Last month, the feds issued Maine\u2019s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit a conditional recertification<\/a> in which it criticized the state\u2019s anti-fraud staffing levels. The state was given 30 days to provide a plan to increase staffing for the unit and 60 days to provide a progress report to the Trump administration. <\/p>\n In March, the state terminated a contract with Paradise Residential Services to provide at-home care for people with autism over health and safety concerns.<\/p>\n The contract was terminated after a year of warnings that providers, in some cases, were failing to protect clients from abuse, neglect and exploitation, News Center Maine reported<\/a>, saying that none of the issues were financial.<\/p>\n In December, the Mills administration\u00a0suspended<\/a>\u00a0payments to a Portland nonprofit, Gateway Community Services, that provides healthcare services to immigrants after an audit found overpayments. Gateway officials denied wrongdoing.<\/p>\n The administration said Wednesday it also had used the licensing process to take action against 15 personal care agencies as of the end of June. It\u2019s issued six conditional licenses, denied six renewals, fined 12 agencies and referred one agency to law enforcement.<\/p>\n Licenses were also denied to two mental health agencies that provide rehabilitative community services, the administration said. Those denials can be appealed. <\/p>\n The administration did not identify the affected providers. <\/p>\n \u201c(DHHS) does not publicly provide specific information about those referrals in order to protect the integrity of potential investigations, preserve the confidentiality of investigative records and uphold due process,\u201d the state said.<\/p>\n The administration\u2019s announcements came two days after Oz came to Maine, ostensibly to investigate possible fraud. But Oz only met with LePage and a reporter with the Maine Wire, a conservative online media group.<\/p>\n The Maine Wire posted videos of reporter John Fetherston speaking with Oz in front of Paradise Residential Services. In the video the two discussed possible fraud, noting the agency was owned by someone from Rwanda.<\/p>\n Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General identified nearly $47 million in improper Medicaid payments<\/a> for autism services in an audit released in January.<\/p>\n But state officials said the federal audit did not include any findings or allegations of fraud \u2014 only possible documentation and compliance issues.<\/p>\n