Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has accused former HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra of dismantling a crucial fraud oversight team, enabling widespread misuse of federal funds.
| PULSE POINTS |
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. accused former HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, now the Democrat candidate in the upcoming California gubernatorial race, of drastically reducing the agency’s team responsible for preventing fraud. 📺 DETAIL: Speaking at a White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud press conference, Kennedy said HHS had only 80 program integrity employees overseeing 50 states and five territories when Becerra took office, and 76 of those were reassigned, leaving just six workers to monitor roughly $2.2 trillion in annual payments. Kennedy said the tiny team was responsible for overseeing about four million transactions each day, describing this as “an invitation for the fraudsters to come in and steal everything.” He cited alleged abuses involving hospice providers, durable medical equipment, and autism services, particularly in Los Angeles County. Kennedy said HHS had shut down thousands of hospices in Los Angeles since he took over, many of which had billed the government for patients who did not exist. He also accused Becerra of implementing a “pay and chase” approach in which the government paid invoices before pursuing suspected fraudulent claims. 💬 KEY QUOTE: “When I came in, there’s only six people who are in charge of all program integrity for my department. And it was an invitation for the fraudsters to come in and steal everything. And that’s why we have this hospice program.” – Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 🎯 IMPACT: Kennedy’s allegations raise serious concerns about the state of fraud prevention and oversight during Becerra’s tenure, suggesting that his lax policies likely contributed to massive financial losses in critical healthcare programs. |
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