Creator: Patrick Connole
CMS Sniffs Out Duplicate Medicare, Medicaid Coverage
People on multiple government health insurance plans are being rooted out to avoid excessive payments in the billions, says HHS and CMS.
As part of its ongoing focus on rooting out areas of fraud, waste, and abuse in healthcare programs, HHS Sec. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Mehmet Oz announced on Oct. 14 the administration has stopped hundreds of thousands of cases of duplicative enrollment in government health programs, with the potential to save taxpayers $1.5 billion over the next year.
In 2026, CMS said it identified 189,000 people who had subsidized Obamacare coverage and either had duplicate Medicare, Medicaid, or Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) coverage or were dead.
The Trump Administration said it restored duplicate enrollment enforcement in 2025, ending duplicate Obamacare subsidies for approximately 551,000 enrollees already receiving coverage under Medicaid.
Historically, CMS routinely checked to ensure taxpayers were not subsidizing duplicate Obamacare policies on the Federal Marketplace for beneficiaries already on Medicaid or Medicare. It also checked if taxpayers are paying for Obamacare plans on the Federal Marketplace for deceased people.
Federal regulations require Exchanges to periodically examine data for dual enrollments in Medicaid to guard against improper enrollments in subsidized Exchange plans through a process called Medicaid/CHIP Periodic Data Matching (PDM). These essential examinations were strengthened under the first Trump Administration and increased to at least twice a year.
“Individuals whose records show they receive Obamacare subsidies while also being covered by Medicaid or Medicare are contacted and provided 30 days to dispute that they have duplicate coverage. If such individuals fail to do so, CMS ends subsidies for their Obamacare plan,” CMS said.
Even after 30 days, individuals may appeal the determination of duplicate coverage or show that their Medicaid/CHIP coverage is about to lapse and regain Obamacare subsidies. This process also contacts individuals, or their estate, when federal records say they are deceased. CMS provides 30 days to dispute this record, otherwise their Obamacare subsidy and plan is ended.
A news conference explaining the above can be viewed here.
Comments or questions? Contact Patrick Connole at pconnole@parkplacelive.com.
