Building on Vice President JD Vance's directive for a federal probe, Republican leaders in Ohio—including State Auditor Keith Faber and gubernatorial hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy—vowed aggressive action against widespread Medicaid fraud in home health services. A Daily Wire investigation revealed hundreds of companies in Columbus buildings billing over $250 million, often for care by family members.
A Daily Wire investigation published Monday built on earlier reporting by exposing systemic issues in Ohio's Medicaid-funded home health care program. In northeast Columbus, seven buildings owned by Cordoba Real Estate along East Dublin Granville Road house 288 businesses registered with Medicaid, which charged taxpayers more than $250 million from 2018 to 2024—despite the city having only 6,273 Medicaid recipients aged 75 or older, per data from the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency. Many offices appeared abandoned, yet billed for low-skilled services like cooking, cleaning, companionship, and hair care in private homes, frequently by patients' relatives. An employee at GC Home Health Care LLC noted that 70% of cases involve family members paid an hour daily after a doctor's note, calling it an 'incentive' since 'the government will pay you to do it.' At one address, 80 companies billed $73 million and received $23 million from Ohio. Firms like Omega Home Health Care Services, founded by Democratic politician Mohamud Jama, charged $11 million from 2017 to 2024 amid audits flagging impossible claims, such as billing during patient hospitalizations. Ohio spent $1 billion on home health care in 2024, with anomalies like Franklin County accounting for 38% of a $1.6 billion program versus 16% in similar Cuyahoga County. State Auditor Keith Faber, running for attorney general, announced Tuesday preparations for a full audit targeting over-utilization in specific zip codes, potentially over $200 million. 'That’s an anomaly in the data,' Faber told radio host Bruce Hooley. VP Vance had responded Sunday on X—directing his task force 'to look into it and take immediate action to prosecute any fraudsters'—prompting state vows. Vivek Ramaswamy, poised to win Ohio's GOP gubernatorial nomination, told Daily Wire's Ben Shapiro he would 'aggressively' prosecute such fraud, criticizing states for ignoring welfare abuse and pledging collaboration with the Trump administration to reform incentives. For prior coverage on Vance's response, see the series.
