Today the United States Department of Health and Human Services announced the results of a multi-state audit which identified $3.7 million in health care benefits paid for Minnesota enrollees who had already died.

“Republicans passed periodic data matching in 2015 —over the objections of DHS staff and the Dayton administration – to address this exact issue,” said Senator Michelle Benson (R-Ham Lake). “Senate Republicans don’t want to see a single tax dollar go to waste because we know that every tax dollar that goes to government comes directly from the family budget and the retiree’s savings account. The people of Minnesota don’t just have $3.7 million dollars laying around they weren’t going to use.

“I appreciate Commissioner Jodi Harpstead’s transparency and efforts on restoring trust, however, we will continue to require DHS to adopt additional program integrity measures so Minnesotans know their tax dollars aren’t going to waste,” Benson concluded.