Texas AG Launches Medicaid Fraud Investigations Using DOGE Data

Detected April 7th, 2026

Summary

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's Healthcare Program Enforcement Division has launched investigations into dozens of Medicaid providers using federal HHS Medicaid claims data released by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The investigations target home health providers, occupational therapy providers, and entities that potentially committed fraud related to COVID-19 treatments. The AG's office will utilize Civil Investigative Demands (CIDs) and other investigative tools as it pursues enforcement actions.

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What changed

The Texas Attorney General announced the launch of numerous new Medicaid fraud investigations targeting providers across Texas, leveraging DOGE-released federal HHS Medicaid claims data combined with the OAG's internal claims data. The investigations specifically target home health providers, occupational therapy providers, and entities that potentially committed fraud related to COVID-19 treatments, with Civil Investigative Demands to be issued where appropriate in anticipation of litigation.

Healthcare providers operating in Texas, particularly those billing Medicaid for home health, occupational therapy, or COVID-19-related services, face heightened enforcement risk. The AG's office has recovered over $1 billion from Medicaid fraud since 2020, indicating substantial financial exposure for entities found liable. Providers should proactively audit their Medicaid billing practices, ensure all claims are properly documented, and engage healthcare fraud defense counsel if they receive any communications from the OAG or if their data may have been included in the DOGE-released dataset.

What to do next

Healthcare providers should monitor for Civil Investigative Demands (CIDs) from the Texas OAG
Review Medicaid billing practices and ensure documentation of COVID-19 treatment claims is complete and accurate
Engage legal counsel immediately if contacted by the Texas OAG regarding Medicaid fraud investigations

Source document (simplified)

Attorney General Ken Paxton’s Healthcare Program Enforcement Division (“HPED”) has launched investigations into dozens of Medicaid providers across Texas. The investigations were launched by utilizing the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (“HHS”) claims data that was released due to efforts by the Department of Government Efficiency (“DOGE”).

The types of providers targeted include home health providers, occupational therapy providers, and entities that potentially committed fraud related to COVID-19 treatments.

Earlier this year, DOGE announced the release of federal HHS Medicaid data and publicized it on X as part of an effort to detect Medicaid fraud. Based on this data, the Office of the Attorney General has launched numerous new investigations that target Medicaid providers. These investigations will leverage DOGE’s newly released data, the OAG’s internal claims data, and other investigative tools, including Civil Investigative Demands (“CIDs”) where appropriate in anticipation of litigation.

“Unlike states that are run by radical left-wing lunatics, we will not tolerate the abuse of taxpayer funded programs in Texas,” said Attorney General Paxton. “My office has already recovered over $1 billion from Medicaid fraud alone since 2020, and I will continue to pursue any fraudster who attempts to cheat Texans out of money by exploiting our healthcare system.”

Attorney General Paxton’s Healthcare Program Enforcement Division has recently filed a number of landmark cases against entities that have illegally taken advantage of Texans, including suing Children’s Health and a Texas doctor “transitioning” kids, suing a dental network defrauding Texas Medicaid, suing Sanofi and Eli Lilly for providing illegal kickbacks to doctors, and suing Sanofi and Bristol-Myers Squibb for failing to disclose that their drug Plavix did not work effectively for certain patients. Attorney General Paxton’s HPED has also secured millions for Texans, including recently securing $41.5 million from Pfizer and Tris Pharma for providing adulterated drugs to children.