State auditor flags Medi-Cal provider payments as 'high risk,' saying 26,000 top-risk providers were never investigated; health department disputes it
State auditor flags Medi-Cal provider payments as 'high risk,' saying 26,000 top-risk providers were never investigated; health department disputes it The auditor found providers who billed after becoming ineligible and a one-van transportation company that claimed 35 riders in a day. The department says its risk scores are "signals," not proof of fraud. By Alberto Zamudio | The Southbound 105 | Oct. 17, 2026 California's state auditor says the agency that runs Medi-Cal is not doing enough to stop improper payments to doctors, clinics, hospices and other providers, in a report released Thursday, Oct. 15. The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) strongly disagrees, CalMatters reported. Medi-Cal, the state's Medicaid program, covers more than 14 million Californians, more than one-third of the state's population, according to the report. The program has about $220 billion allocated in the 2026-27 state budget. What the auditor found State Auditor...