WASHINGTON – Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), along with several committee Republicans, sent a letter to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar seeking information on how much Puerto Rico receives in Medicaid funding, what processes, if any, are in place to reduce waste, fraud and abuse of federal dollars allocated to its Medicaid program and what timelines are in place for Puerto Rico to implement transparency processes in the program.
“Congress has required increased efforts in recent years on the part of Puerto Rico with respect to transparency and accountability in its Medicaid program,” Grassley wrote. “In light of recent allegations of misuse of federal funds in an agency in Puerto Rico responsible for administering, among other things, federal funds provided for its Medicaid program, it is important to understand where Puerto Rico stands with respect to federal funding and our ability to perform oversight and ensure accountability.”
Grassley was joined on the letter by Sens. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), James Lankford (R- Okla.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and John Thune (R-S.D.).