U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann wrote to the government's top Medicaid officials Thursday to press for an immediate audit of the state's Medicaid billing practices, the focus of two congressional probes. Quoting language from a congressional report, the Minnesota Republican told the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that "Minnesota provides a stunning example of how states are failing to properly ensure the appropriate use of taxpayer dollars spent on Medicaid managed care." Bachmann's letter to CMS head Marilyn Tavenner, was released during a hearing Thursday of a House Oversight and Government Reform subcommittee that has been questioning whether Minnesota improperly used federal Medicaid dollars to subsidize state-funded public health programs since 2003. It was the second time Bachmann has addressed the committee, echoing critics' concerns that state and federal officials have fallen short in monitoring Medicaid spending in Minnesota under both DFL Gov. Mark Dayton and former GOP Gov. Tim Pawlenty. "It's our job to immediately get to the bottom of this," Bachmann said. "CMS is already tasked with identifying patterns or instances of fraud and abuse in Medicare and Medicaid, but despite that, they are requiring no documented data." As the congressional probes continue, state officials in recent weeks have received additional requests for information from federal officials, including inquiries from CMS.

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