Congressman Andy Biggs Co-Leads Letter to California Governor over Alleged Hospice Fraud

GILBERT, ARIZONA- Late last month, Congressman Andy Biggs co-led a letter to California Governor Gavin Newsom over “reports of widespread waste, fraud, and abuse in federally funded health care programs.” The letter was co-signed by Members of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, investigating alleged fraud within California’s hospice programs. 

In the letter, the House Oversight Members requested information about California’s oversight of the state’s hospice program with a deadline of this week for response. The Committee is working with California officials on producing documents and is committed to holding the state accountable for its failure to stop fraud. 

The inquiry highlights a March 2022 report from the California State Auditor, which showed that Los Angeles County “experienced a 1,500 percent increase in registered hospice providers since 2010 – more than six times the national average of hospice agencies relative to Los Angeles County’s senior population." Despite this report and even the state’s attorney general describing this hospice fraud as “an epidemic,” California does not appear to have taken the issue seriously, as many red flags and warnings continue to appear throughout the health care industry.

“American taxpayers work extremely hard for their money, yet government agencies across America allow rampant misuse and abuse of these funds at alarming rates,” said Congressman Biggs.“Under Governor Newsom’s purview, rogue operators and organizations have exploited taxpayers for years with no end in sight. If California won’t end this dereliction of duty by state officials, then Congress will step in to protect unsuspecting men and women. We will not tolerate this shameless disregard of the duty of government to responsibly steward taxpayer dollars."

Read the letter here.

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