Audit: Maryland misallocated $28.4M for health exchange

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP-Excite

By BRIAN WITTE

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Maryland misallocated $28.4 million in federal money for its flawed health care exchange and should pay the money back, according to a federal audit set to be released Friday.

The audit by the inspector general of the Department of Health and Human Services found that Maryland misallocated costs to federal grants instead of the Medicaid program in 2013 and 2014, failing to use updated estimated enrollment data when it became available.

"The state agency misallocated these costs because it did not have adequate internal controls to ensure the proper allocation costs," the audit said.

In a response included in the audit, the state said it believes it complied with guidance from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

FULL story at link.


Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20150327/us--health_overhaul-maryland_audit-f2a9b1a39b.html

[demwing]

1. Bad News of Martin O'Malley?

not sure of his engagement in the process, but he was the Gov...

[erronis]

2. This was done during O'Malley's tenure as governor

Doesn't help.

Rep. Andy Harris, Maryland's only Republican in the state's congressional delegation, requested the audit.

"This audit was critically important, and I believe the state will have to return the appropriate amount of money to the federal government," Harris said in a statement. "This is just another example of Gov. Hogan having to clean up Gov. O'Malley's mistakes."

O'Malley and Brown have blamed vendors for failing to deliver the product promised to the state.

"Our administration has not succeeded at every first try, but we have never given up," O'Malley and Brown said in a joint statement, after a state board voted in April 2014 to use new technology to revamp the health exchange website. "We learn from both success and failure. The vendors we hired failed to build us the platform they promised."

[Burma Jones]

3. This is maybe the biggest reason Anthony Brown should not have been our Nominee

I wanted Doug Gansler as the Democratic Candidate, but he's from Montgomery County and therefore not electable statewide.

Brown and his team flubbed the exchange - badly. Brown and his team also flubbed the campaign - badly.

I voted for him anyway, but not with enthusiasm.