Lawmakers advance new Medicaid, SNAP rules INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The state’s top Medicaid official on Thursday said he could not provide any numbers on how many people might be fraudulently using the system. Those comments came as a Senate panel voted to advance priority legislation to re quire citizenship checks for Medicaid and for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, formerly known as food stamps. Under the bill, anyone in the country without proper documentation who applies for either program would be denied benefits and would be reported to federal immigration officials. Undocumented immigrants already are barred from those programs. The bill would limit participation to U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents, plus some Cubans and Haitians admitted under specific asylum programs. Much of the bill either brings Indiana law into compliance with the stipulations of H.R. 1, also known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, or codifies executive orders Gov. Mike Braun has already issued, such as the ban on using SNAP benefits to buy candy or sugary drinks. Bill author Sen. Chris Garten said he’s concerned by Indiana’s improper payment rate for both Medicaid and SNAP benefits. Improper payments can result from anything from paperwork errors to fraudulent claims. He said he wants to prevent any waste, fraud or abuse. “Someone who is not legally eligible is a dollar stolen from the truly vulnerable Hoosier who actually needs the help,” Garten said. “It is also a dollar taken from the pockets of hardworking families who paid the taxes to support these programs for our most vulnerable.” Family and Social Services Administration Secretary Mitch Roob said the FSSA will return about $466 million in savings back to the general fund over the course of the 2026-2027 budget biennium. He said his staff has identified additional waste, but not fraud. That prompted Sen. Lonnie Randolph, D-East Chicago, to press Roob for specifics on waste he has identified. Roob replied he couldn’t put an exact number on waste, but added Medicaid’s rapid cost growth since 2021 indicates wasteful spending likely is occurring. Sen. Fady Qaddoura, D-Indianapolis, repeatedly asked Roob how many fraudulent cases his office has referred to the attorney general for prosecution. Roob said he doesn’t have that number. Qaddoura told reporters afterward Roob’s testimony undercuts Republicans’ claims of waste, fraud, and abuse within Medicaid and SNAP. “There’s a specific definition of what fraud is and it’s intentional,” Qaddoura said. “When I asked (Roob), he said maybe there are a few individuals out of almost two million in Indiana who are on Medicaid services, and that was only an estimation of individuals with no proof, with no documentation, with no prosecution of cases. So, for me, that was a confirmation in committee that regardless of how this bill is messaged that isn’t going after fraud, it is not the case.” The bill is Senate Republicans’ top legislative priority this session, and earned an endorsement from Braun during his State of the State address Wednesday night. In addition to the citizenship requirements, the bill also ends Indiana’s participation in the expanded categorical eligibility program for SNAP. That program automatically enrolls anyone who is receiving materials related to federal welfare benefits. Legislative analysts estimate this change could affect a little more than 3,100 households. Emily Bryant, executive director of Feeding Indiana’s Hungry, said federal welfare recipients already are subject to more stringent vetting than SNAP recipients. As for the citizenship requirement, she said she fears this could prevent so-called mixed-status households, where some members have legal status, but others do not, from accessing SNAP benefits they might otherwise be qualified for. Garten said those households would face the same vetting as any other Hoosier household. The bill advanced out of committee on a 9-3 vote. Qaddoura joined the committee’s Republicans in voting yes but said he only did so because Indiana has to comply with federal law. He said he might vote against the bill on the Senate floor. ...read more read less