The facts
Florida’s Medicaid fraud crackdown has produced an almost $1 billion reduction in projected annual spending on behavioral therapy services, according to state officials. The effort, led by Governor Ron DeSantis, uncovered providers billing Medicaid for more than 24 hours of services in a single day. Over 220 Medicaid providers have been terminated for fraud, waste, or abuse, and more than 260 have faced payment restrictions or suspensions. The state has referred over 150 suspected fraud cases to the attorney general’s office. Projected annual spending on Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy, used for children with autism, fell from an estimated $3.86 billion to $2.88 billion for fiscal year 2026‑27. The Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) expanded monitoring, launched a pilot with identity‑verification firm SentiLink to screen for stolen or fake identities, issued more than 1,000 adverse enrollment decisions since January 2026, and conducted 400 site visits to high‑risk providers.
Our take
Well, well, well. Florida’s Medicaid system turned into a fucking all‑you‑can‑steal buffet for con artists, and DeSantis finally decided to shut the doors. Providers were billing for more than 24 hours of ABA therapy in a single day - yeah, they either invented a time machine or were just cash‑flowing fantasies while the kids waited. The state’s crackdown ripped out over 220 fraudulent providers and slapped payment restrictions on another 260, while referring more than 150 cases to the attorney general. That’s a massive purge, but the real kicker is the nearly $1 billion slashed from the projected ABA budget, dropping it from $3.86 billion to $2.88 billion. It’s not just trimming fat; it’s exposing a whole budget built on pure, unadulterated bullshit. The AHCA’s new front‑door fraud‑prevention model - screening with SentiLink, issuing over 1,000 adverse enrollment decisions, and conducting 400 site visits - shows they’re finally stopping the money‑laundering before it even hits the ledger. The old “pay‑and‑chase” model was basically a blank‑check giveaway to anyone with a printer, hoping to claw back the cash later. DeSantis’s administration is patting itself on the back for a strategy that actually checks for fraud before the cash leaves the vault. That’s a revolutionary fucking concept in a system that’s long been a playground for greedy providers. The tragedy? Every dollar stolen was a dollar denied to a child who truly needed therapy. Turning a critical service into a personal piggy bank for unscrupulous providers is the kind of soulless, greedy bastardry that makes you want to piss on their business licenses. Good fucking riddance.
