Fraudsters and Dead People Scored Hundreds of Billions in Government Payments Last Year, Watchdog Finds

Fraudsters and Dead People Scored Hundreds of Billions in Government Payments Last Year, Watchdog Finds
Nonprofit government watchdog Open The Books calculates the federal government spends $474,305 per minute on improper payments. Andrii Spy_k/Shutterstock
Mark Tapscott
Updated:
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Federal officials made more than $247 billion in improper payments in 2022, with more than half of the total—$132.4 billion—coming from five major Medicare/Medicaid programs in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), according to a June analysis by nonprofit government watchdog Open the Books (OTB).

The $247 billion for 2022 was the second-highest annual improper payment total since 2004, when such expenditures were first documented. The two-year total of $528 billion spanning President Joe Biden’s tenure is the highest ever.

Mark Tapscott
Mark Tapscott
Senior Congressional Correspondent
Mark Tapscott is an award-winning senior Congressional correspondent for The Epoch Times. He covers Congress, national politics, and policy. Mr. Tapscott previously worked for Washington Times, Washington Examiner, Montgomery Journal, and Daily Caller News Foundation.
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