Questions are mounting after a bombshell investigation revealed what critics say could be one of the largest Medicaid abuse schemes in recent memory — and taxpayers may have the now-defunct Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to thank for exposing it.
Before shutting down operations earlier this year, DOGE quietly released a massive database showing which companies were billing Medicaid and for what services. What investigators uncovered in Ohio has conservatives demanding answers, accountability, and serious reform.
According to investigative journalist Luke Rosiak, Ohio’s Medicaid expansion program has become a magnet for suspicious home-health businesses, many allegedly tied to widespread fraud within the state’s growing Somali immigrant community. His report paints a picture of a bloated government system hemorrhaging taxpayer dollars with almost no oversight.
The core of the issue centers on Ohio’s home-health waiver program, which allows Medicaid funds to pay individuals for assisting elderly or disabled people in their homes with basic tasks such as cooking, cleaning, and companionship. The problem? The “workers” often appear to be relatives of the recipient — and because the services occur behind closed doors, there is virtually no way to verify whether the work is actually being performed.
Ohio reportedly spent nearly $1 billion on home-health services in 2024 alone.
Rosiak’s investigation described entire stretches of Columbus lined with nearly identical home-health companies. The city, home to one of America’s largest Somali populations, has allegedly seen an explosion of these Medicaid-funded businesses.
“Driving down Cleveland Avenue, in less than 40 seconds, you come across endless home health companies,” Rosiak reported, naming multiple businesses clustered together with little visible distinction between them.
According to the report, many of these companies lack websites, advertising, or any obvious business infrastructure. Yet somehow, some reportedly acquire full client rosters almost immediately after opening. Investigators also uncovered troubling signs among some owners, including unpaid taxes, criminal histories, and webs of LLCs spanning unrelated industries.
Critics argue the setup practically invites abuse.
In many cases, investigators found a familiar pattern: a middle-aged immigrant is paid through Medicaid to “care for” an elderly parent — often their own mother — while a home-health company acts as the billing intermediary using its Medicaid provider credentials. The “employee” may have no clients other than their own family member.
And because there is little oversight, taxpayers are simply expected to trust that the services happened.
The scandal has reignited broader concerns about unchecked government spending and lax Medicaid oversight. Conservatives have long warned that massive entitlement expansions create fertile ground for waste, fraud, and abuse — especially when bureaucrats prioritize political correctness over enforcement.
The investigation also raises uncomfortable questions for Ohio Republican Gov. Mike DeWine, whose administration has faced criticism for failing to crack down aggressively on potential fraud despite years of warning signs.
When confronted by Rosiak, one business owner reportedly lashed out instead of answering questions, accusing journalists of racism and asking, “Do you guys pay my bills?”
For many Americans struggling with inflation and rising healthcare costs, the revelations are infuriating. Taxpayer-funded programs intended to help the truly vulnerable appear increasingly vulnerable themselves — not to budget cuts, but to exploitation.
Now, conservatives are calling for sweeping audits, prosecutions where appropriate, and major reforms to Medicaid’s home-health programs before billions more disappear into a system critics say has become impossible to monitor.
