by Jonathan Eberle | Nov 11, 2025 | News
By Jonathan Eberle |
State lawmakers will hold a third public oversight hearing in the coming days to examine ongoing concerns surrounding the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS), the state’s Medicaid program, as questions persist over fraud, service disruptions, and access to behavioral health care.
Sen. Carine Werner (R-LD4), who chairs the Senate Health & Human Services Committee, announced that the hearing will take place Wednesday, Nov. 12, at 1 p.m. in Senate Hearing Room 1. The session will be open to the public and media, with a livestream expected to be posted on the legislature’s website.
The upcoming hearing comes amid continued fallout from large-scale Medicaid fraud schemes that exploited system vulnerabilities and led to significant billing losses. According to lawmakers, the issue has contributed to widespread service interruptions and difficulties for some patients and behavioral health providers trying to access or deliver care.
Werner has requested testimony from AHCCCS Director Ginny Rountree and senior members of the agency’s leadership team. Legislators are expected to press the agency for updates on enforcement efforts, provider reinstatement processes, and long-term plans to stabilize services. Officials from the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) have also been asked to appear to address questions related to licensing and oversight of behavioral health providers.
“Arizona families and providers deserve honesty, transparency, and meaningful corrective action,” Werner said in an announcement. “The public deserves to know what happened, what is being done now, and how we ensure this never happens again.”
Lawmakers also plan to review AHCCCS’ response to information and document requests issued by the committee. The findings could influence whether legislators pursue additional policy or statutory changes aimed at strengthening oversight and preventing further misuse of public funds. The hearing marks the latest step in a months-long legislative inquiry as state officials continue efforts to restore stability and public trust in Arizona’s Medicaid system.
Jonathan Eberle is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Matthew Holloway | Nov 8, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
Policy experts are pushing back on Democratic attack ads against Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ06) and other Republicans, saying the One Big Beautiful Bill Act’s (OBBB) Medicaid reforms target fraud and waste—not vulnerable populations.
The ads, funded by the dark-money group Unrig Our Economy, are linked to the George Soros-backed Sixteen Thirty Fund via Arabella Advisors, according to Influence Watch. They feature individuals with disabilities like cerebral palsy, autism, and Down syndrome, accusing legislators, including Ciscomani, of supporting “cuts to Medicaid to pay for tax breaks for billionaires.” The ads target GOP Reps. Mike Lawler (R-NY), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA), and Thomas Kean Jr. (R-NJ), in addition to Ciscomani, and insinuate that the subjects would lose benefits under the Trump-backed OBBB.
A report from the Economic Policy Innovation Center (EPIC), titled “The Truth Behind the Medicaid Cuts Myth,” counters that Medicaid spending is projected to grow by nearly $189 billion over the next decade, an increase of more than 30% of the current allocation, without reducing benefits for low-income children, individuals with disabilities, or working recipients.
“The reforms in the OBBB do not target low-income children, individuals with a disability, or those who can work and choose to do so,” EPIC stated in the report.
“As usual, all the Democrats have is lies. Representative Juan Ciscomani voted to protect care for Arizona’s most vulnerable, and no amount of spin can change the facts,” National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) Spokesperson Ben Petersen said in a statement.
The OBBB introduces work requirements for able-bodied adults, enhanced eligibility verification to cut improper payments (which surged to 21.7% in FY 2020 post-COVID, per CMS data but have since declined to 5.09% in FY 2024), and exemptions for parents of children under 14, disabled veterans, the blind or physically disabled, those with mental or developmental issues, clinically addicted individuals, and those with severe medical conditions.
EPIC and other analysts point to state 1115 demonstrations that have included work and employment elements; evaluations of such waivers show mixed employment impacts and mixed effects on utilization, varying by state and program design.
In Arizona, Ciscomani’s district faces heightened scrutiny amid a state budget shortfall. Arizona budget analysts and JLBC staff warn of material budget pressure heading into FY2026–27; JLBC’s state-impact memos estimate a $363 million reduction in Arizona total-fund Medicaid spending stemming from federal reconciliation provisions, according to the Arizona Joint Legislative Budget Committee.
EPIC is advocating “smart waivers” to prioritize the disabled and families. For Arizona’s fiscal details, see JLBC’s full report.
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Ethan Faverino | Nov 4, 2025 | News
By Ethan Faverino |
A new analysis has found Arizona among the top 10 U.S. states for the share of births financed by Medicaid, ranking ninth nationwide with 471 Medicaid-supported deliveries per 1,000 live births annually. This comes in at 19% above the national average of 394.46.
The study, which examined five years of data from 2019 to 2023, compiled total Medicaid-financed births for each state, averaged them over the period, and standardized the figures based on total live births to determine the rates per 1,000.
Arizona averaged 36,856 Medicaid-financed births per year, peaking in 2019 at 38,848 (49% of all births) and dipping to its lowest in 2022 at 36,153 (46% of all births).
The top 10 states for Medicaid-funded births (per 1,000) are: Louisiana – 615, Mississippi – 589, New Mexico – 545, Oklahoma – 512, Texas – 487, Alabama – 474.9, West Virginia – 474.6, South Carolina – 473, Arizona – 471, and Tennessee – 465.
It is unknown how many of those children are born to illegal aliens, but a separate finding by the Center for Immigration Studies estimates 225,000 to 250,000 births to illegal immigrants in the U.S. in 2023 alone—representing approximately 7% of all births nationwide.
“Up to a quarter-million births to illegal immigrants is hardly trivial,” the report said. “It appears to be more than the number of births to legal noncitizens, and it is greater than the total number of births in all but two states taken individually. Although not yet available, the 2024 numbers are likely to be even higher.”
The financial implications are substantial, according to a 2023 cost analysis by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR). The net cost of illegal immigration to U.S. taxpayers at federal, state, and local levels reached at least $150.7 billion in 2023, which is an increase of $35 billion from the 2017 estimate of $116 billion.
After subtracting $32 billion in taxes paid by illegal immigrants from a gross economic impact of $182 billion, the burden equates to $1,156 per illegal immigrant household annually.
Each illegal alien or U.S.-born child of illegal aliens costs taxpayers an estimated $8,776 per year. While some contribute through taxes, these payments only cover one-sixth of the costs they generate. Many illegal aliens working in the “underground economy” avoid income taxes entirely, widening the financial gap.
Federal law prohibits illegal aliens from accessing most federally funded state and local benefits, though states may use their own funds to extend coverage to certain noncitizen populations, including expanded Medicaid for unauthorized immigrants in some areas.
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Jonathan Eberle | Nov 1, 2025 | News
By Jonathan Eberle |
Senator Carine Werner (R-LD4), Chair of the Arizona Senate Health and Human Services Committee, announced that the committee will convene its third special oversight hearing on the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) on November 12 at 1 p.m.in Senate Hearing Room 1.
The hearing continues the committee’s months-long probe into what lawmakers describe as systemic failures in the state’s Medicaid program. The focus will be on AHCCCS’s ongoing response to widespread Medicaid fraud and the long-term fallout affecting behavioral health providers and Arizona families.
Senator Werner has invited newly appointed AHCCCS Director Ginny Roundtree and members of the agency’s executive leadership to testify. The committee has also requested the attendance of Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) leaders to address allegations that providers who have publicly criticized the agencies faced retaliation.
“Arizonans deserve answers — not excuses,” Werner said. “Governor Hobbs and AHCCCS continue to hide behind lawsuits and misleading data, instead of owning up to the damage caused by its failed oversight. We will not allow bureaucratic stonewalling to stand in the way of accountability.”
The committee’s investigation began earlier this year following revelations of billions in fraudulent billing, tens of thousands of member disenrollments, and severe service disruptions impacting vulnerable populations, including Native American communities. Lawmakers argue that AHCCCS’s sluggish response has deepened the crisis, with incomplete data, opaque enforcement actions, and a lack of transparency on recovery efforts.
Werner’s committee has repeatedly pressed AHCCCS for detailed documentation on how it is addressing fraud, reinstating providers, and safeguarding patient access. So far, legislators say the agency’s evasiveness underscores a larger pattern of bureaucratic failure. The November 12 hearing will publicly review AHCCCS’s compliance with data and document requests, as well as evaluate whether corrective actions are being implemented.
Jonathan Eberle is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Jonathan Eberle | Oct 7, 2025 | News
By Jonathan Eberle |
State Senator Carine Werner is escalating her oversight push against Arizona’s Medicaid agency, AHCCCS, after a tense committee hearing revealed what she called “catastrophic failures” in the state’s health care system.
As chair of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, Werner convened an October 1 hearing that uncovered widespread fraud, lapses in oversight, and significant coverage disruptions for vulnerable Arizonans. Lawmakers heard testimony that outlined nearly $2.8 billion in estimated fraud, more than 140,000 unenrollments since September 2024, and deep impacts on Native American communities.
“This is about far more than numbers on a page—it’s about lives shattered and trust broken,” Werner said after the hearing. “Families lost coverage, providers were driven out by retaliation and red tape, and patient brokers were allowed to exploit Arizonans in need. We cannot allow the Governor’s state agencies to hide behind vague answers.”
Witnesses described fraudulent brokers shifting patients from Medicaid into federally subsidized marketplace plans, leaving families at risk of losing access to necessary care. Providers also reported delayed or denied payments that have forced some to close their practices, while law enforcement confirmed that just 91 arrests have been made despite widespread patient brokering schemes.
The committee also heard that Native American communities have been disproportionately affected by lapses in Medicaid coverage, with families struggling to find replacement providers or navigate bureaucratic hurdles.
In response, the committee issued a formal list of follow-up questions to AHCCCS. Lawmakers are seeking precise information on how many licensed behavioral health providers are actively serving patients, what actions are being taken to restore access to care in Native American communities, how much taxpayer money has been lost and recovered, and whether AHCCCS has held staff accountable for oversight failures.
Werner stressed that the requests are non-negotiable. “Governor Hobbs and AHCCCS owe Arizona’s taxpayers and families straight answers. The days of vague promises are over. This committee expects deliverables that prove action is being taken.”
The committee has given AHCCCS 30 days to provide a full set of responses and supporting data. A follow-up hearing is scheduled within 45 days, where lawmakers will publicly review the agency’s progress.
“Arizona deserves a health care system that protects the vulnerable instead of enabling fraud,” Werner said. “We will keep pressing until every loophole is closed, every fraudulent actor is held accountable, and every Arizonan can access care without fear of exploitation.”
Jonathan Eberle is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
