Scottsdale Senator Carine Werner Leads Capitol Attack on Medicaid Fraud Response

Scottsdale legislator takes aim at Attorney General over Medicaid system failures

State Sen. Carine Werner, R-Scottsdale, led a group of Republican lawmakers and behavioral health providers to the state Capitol on Monday to demand accountability for what they called systemic fraud in Arizona's Medicaid program.

Werner and her colleagues accused the governor's office and the attorney general's office of failing to protect vulnerable Arizonans from exploitation by unlicensed providers and patient brokers.

"No one in our government has been held accountable for creating a system that allowed the fraud to occur or standing by while it infested our communities and destroyed families," Werner said at the news conference.

Victims describe targeted exploitation

The press conference included testimony from people directly affected by the alleged fraud.

Attorney Heather Dukes said the scheme targeted Native American communities and left victims homeless and traumatized.

"They targeted Native Americans, stole staggering sums of money and they left people homeless, traumatized and in worst cases, dead," Dukes said.

Reva Stewart, a Native American business owner, said she has seen family members targeted by individuals trying to convince them to apply for services they do not need.

"They came to my store," Stewart said. "We're at a point where we have to educate our own people, educate families and tell them if you're going to get help these are the red flags."

Attorney General fires back

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes pushed back against the Republican press conference. She said her office has indicted 140 people in connection with Medicaid fraud and is working with the FBI to investigate every complaint.

Mayes called the Republican event unnecessary and accused Werner of making a political attack.

"She was grateful and thankful to my agents when they visited her but she turned this into a bullsh** political attack last night because that's all Republicans like Werner know how to do," Mayes said.

Bills and tools move forward

According to the report, several bills are currently being considered at the state Legislature that would tighten oversight of the AHCCCS system, Arizona's Medicaid program.

Governor Katie Hobbs announced last week that the state will deploy a new AI tool to help detect and prevent fraud within the Medicaid program.

The clash between Republican lawmakers and the governor's office comes as budget negotiations continue at the Capitol. Senator Werner and other Republicans are pushing for stronger safeguards against patient brokering and unlicensed providers within the state's healthcare safety net.