Governor Kim Reynolds has issued the final report from the Medicaid Fraud Elimination Task Force, which was established by executive order on July 1, 2026. The governor appointed Attorney General Brenna Bird to chair the task force and directed its members to recommend strategies to prevent and eliminate fraud, waste and abuse within Iowa’s Medicaid system.
“I want to thank Attorney General Bird and all the members of the Medicaid Fraud Elimination Task Force for their dedication to further strengthening Iowa’s Medicaid system. Their efforts will help make it one of the most accountable and secure in the nation,” said Governor Reynolds. “While we work to protect Iowa taxpayers’ investment in these programs, we’re equally focused on ensuring that quality care and services are available for every eligible Iowan who relies on them. The recommendations put forth by the task force help advance these goals and will support the system’s long-term sustainability.”
"Iowans deserve a Medicaid system that is efficient and free from fraud,” said Attorney General Brenna Bird. “Every dollar lost to Medicaid fraud is a dollar stolen from vulnerable Iowans who need the program and the hardworking Iowans who fund it with their taxes. The Task Force’s recommendations give us the critical tools we need to be proactive in rooting out fraud, waste, and abuse. I am grateful for the leadership of Governor Reynolds and for the trust she showed in me to be the chair of this important task force. I look forward to working with her and the legislature on our recommendations.”
The final report includes five principal recommendations: optimizing Iowa’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, improving Medicaid fraud public awareness and reporting channels, strengthening quality and program integrity in high-risk Medicaid services, maximizing technology and data analytics, and strengthening MCO network management. While many of the recommendations can be implemented under existing authority, some require appropriations or legislation.
Other members of the Governor’s Medicaid Fraud Elimination Task Force included:
- Larry Johnson, Principal Deputy Director of the Department of Health and Human Services;
- Lee Grossman, Director of Iowa Medicaid;
- Aaron Baack, Interim Director of the Department of Inspections, Appeals, & Licensing;
- Jeremy Ingrim, Director of Iowa’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit;
- Steve Bayens, Commissioner of the Department of Public Safety;
- Kraig Paulsen, Director of the Department of Management;
- Dax Oberreuter, Office of the Governor; and
- One member from each of Iowa’s managed care organizations: Wellpoint Iowa, Iowa Total Care, and Molina Healthcare of Iowa.
The final Medicaid Fraud Elimination Task Force report is publicly available on the Office of the Governor website at governor.iowa.gov.